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COMPANION VOLUME

A COMPLETE GUIDE
TO HERALDRY

A. C. FOX-DAVIES

OF LINCOLN'S INN, BARRISTER-AT-LAW
KoiTOB or "armorial rAMiLiKs"; authok or "tmb

ART or HBRALDRV," «TC
ILLVSTRATED BY t PLATES IN COLOUR AND NEARLY 800

OTHER Designs, mainly from Drawings by
GRAHAM JOHNSTON

MKRALD rAIMTBR TO THE LVOM COOBT

In One Volume. Conteinini^ orer 600 pages.

Large square 8to, Cloth Gilt,

xoe. 6d. net

BRITISH AND FOREIGN

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Sir Richard Vernon, 1452. Tong
Church, Shropshire

FnmtUipifce

V '^^

^r^A

'OSO^

RifiSH AND FOREIGN

ARMS & ARMOUR

CHARLES HENRY ASHDOWN

HON. SEC. ST. ALBANS AND HERTS ARCHITECTURAiTm^JD ARCHAEOLOGICAL SOCIETY ;

HON. CURATOR OF NUMISMATICS, HERTS COUNTY MUSEUM ; AUTHOR OF

" ST. ALBANS : HISTORICAL AND PICTURESQUE," ETC.

tiUSTRATED WITH 450 ENGRAVINGS IN THE TEXT AND 42 PLATES

LOM ACTUAL EXAMPLES, MISSALS, ILLUxMINATED MSS., BRASSES,

EFFIGIES, Etc., AND FROM ORIGINAL RESEARCH IN THE

BRITISH MUSEUM, THE TOWER OF LONDON, WALLACE

COLLECTION, ROTUNDA AT WOOLWICH, MANY

PRIVATE COLLECTIONS, Etc.

522262

LONDON

T. C. & K G. JACK

16 HENRIETTA STREET, W.C.

AND EDINBURGH

1909

800
R8

THE PRESIDENT
THE VERY REV. THE DEAN OF ST. ALBANS, D.D,

AND TO

THE MEMBERS

OF THE

ST. ALBANS AND HERTS ARCHITECTURAL AND
ARCH^OLOGICAL SOCIETY,

THESE PAGES ARE RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED BY

THE AUTHOR.

iiHUUUtMnitntiMUiiittTimnnuiiiMMnittifiiniMiiMiMUiitmtiimuiiitiiinmiifMiM

PREFACE

The study of Arms and Armour is one of absorbing interest
to a large and ever increasing number of the community,
inasmuch as it appeals in a marked degree to the student
of history, the antiquarian, and to those who work in the
realms of art. To the first it appeals as a concrete reminder
of the struggles of nations for liberty, independence, power,
or conquest ; to the second it breathes of the age in which
it saw the light with all the feehng and tone which char-
acterised it; to the third it is a source of delight by the
consummate beauty of its form or the exquisite details of
its adornment. Unfortunately there are few books extant
which serve as a guide to the student, although there are
many which deal with the subject. The great works of
Meyrick, with Skelton his illustrator, are standard only in
a sense that it is necessary to be thoroughly acquainted
with the subject in order to guard against the many errors
embodied in them. Grose is hopelessly antiquated, while
Fosbroke, Stothard, Strutt, Shaw, Planche, Cotman,
and others who flourished before or about the sixties, only
deal pictorially or casually with the subject. The Rev.

X PREFACE

Charles Boutell by his translation of I^acombe did much to
foster the study, but it was from a French point of view, and
his epitome of Enghsh armour and arms, though excellent
in its way, is only superficial, and a digest of his great
works on Monumental Brasses. In the latter he probably
did more to further the study than any preceding author ;
he was the first to rationally systematise the arrangement
of armour in periods in consonance with the salient features
it possessed, thus breaking through the previous methods
of classifying it by reigns, which was obviously absurd,
or by centuries, which was equally ridiculous. I have
followed his method with but little variation in the pages
of this book, inasmuch as no better arrangement is extant.
It is a matter for great pride to myself that such standard
works should have emanated from a former Hon. Secretary
of the St. Albans and Herts Architectural and Archaeo-
logical Society, and if tlie present volume should in any
degree further the good work of my predecessor it will
have achieved the height of my ambition. Hewitt is de-
lightful reading, but his arrangement is unsystematic and
involved ; to the advanced student, however, he is invalu-
able. The later works of Demmin, Clephan, Gardner, &c.,
are masterly monographs upon the subject, but hopelessly
out of place in the hands of a beginner.

It is with a view to rectifying this obvious requirement
that the following pages have been compiled, and it is confi-
dently anticipated that a careful reading and digest of each
separate period of armour, supplemented with the study of
local brasses, effigies, museums, private collections, &c., will
enable the average student to attack the more advanced
works upon the subject with equal profit and pleasure. It

PREFACE xi

IS perhaps necessary to caution the student of brasses against
many existing cases where the armour shown is not essen-
tially that of the period when the person died, inasmuch
as many warriors in their old age requested that the armour
dehneated upon their monumental slabs should be that in
which they achieved renown in youth or manhood. In other
examples the brass was not executed until some time after
the person represented had deceased, and details had under-
gone change in the interim ; while cases are not unknown
where the brass of one person has been taken to record the
demise of another, perhaps many years later. A flagrant
example of this may be cited in the brass of Peter Rede, d,
1577, in St. Peter s, Mancroft, Norwich, who is represented
in complete plate of the years 1460 or 1470, with visored
salade, &c. Occasionally we find the artist exercising his
powers of recollection with startling results, as in the case
of the Wodehouse brass in Kimberley Church, Norfolk,
1465, but probably executed sixty years later. The knight
delineated has a skirt of mail of 1490 with three fluted tuilles,
very high pike-guards, a camail of 1405 or earlier, sabbatons
of 1500, and a breastplate with placcate of 1470. Fortunately
such vagaries are so apparent that the observer is placed
upon his guard at once.

The average Englishman is probably more unacquainted
with arms and armour than any other technical subject.
Beyond a general idea that the Crusaders fought in mail,
and the Wars of the Roses were waged by warriors clad in
plate, his knowledge does not extend, and he consequently
witnesses many startling incongruities upon the stage of a
theatre, or the arena of a pageant, with the most profound
indifference. He will perceive Richard III. in a camail and

xii PREFACE

Ivanhoe in a salade with the utmost complacency. The pity
of it is that those who are responsible for the historical
inaccuracies should be so ignorant, for no effort ought to
be spared in endeavouring to educate the nation, and espe-
cially the youth of it, in the fundamental principles of
rigid historical truthfulness. In our theatres recently wc
have witnessed Bolingbroke in a fifteenth century tabard,
a waistbelt, and round-toed sabbatons, with the Duke of
Norfolk in an almost equally grotesque parody of the
Camail and Jupon Period ; Pistol with a basket-hilted rapier ;
Henry V. in a camail, late fifteenth century gauntlets, twen-
tieth century boots, and vambraces covering parts of his
coudi^res. Upon the arena knights of Richard II.'s period
have appeared in full plate armour of 1470; at Queen
Eleanor s funeral without ailettes ; while bear's-paw sabba-
tons have figured conspicuously in many scenes previous to
1480. These are elementary details which even a cursory
knowledge of military equipment could avoid, but in the
illustrations of historical scenes in books and magazines
equal ignorance prevails, and a knight in pure mail and a
surcoat, making love to a maiden in a reticulated liead-dress
seated under a two-centred Tudor archway, is only an
example of the incongruities which almost every day insult
the intelligence and offend the eyesight of the educated
reader. Unfortunately many illustrator go to the works
of Sir Walter Scott for details of medieval military equij)-
ment, and are thereby led hopelessly astray.

It will be noticed in the following pages that continual
reference is made, respecting early armour and weapons,
to the MSS. which are preserved in our inimitable national
collection at the British Museum, and I cannot too earnestly

11 PREFACE xiu

advise the student to utilise to the utmost extent possible
the treasure-house of military detail preserved therein.
The feeling, which prompted early illuminators to represent
Biblical and other personages in contemporary equipment,
whereby Goliath was shown habited in Norman hauberk
and helm, Moses appeared on horseback with couched
lance in the mixed mail and plate of the thirteenth century,
and Julius Csesar crossed the Rubicon in a salade and
complete Yorkist plate, is simply invaluable to the student,
inasmuch as every detail, though at times almost micro-
scopic, is faithfully delineated, and every new fashion
recorded at once upon its adoption. I have drawn upon
many manuscripts for illustrations, but there are scores
ill untouched which only need the student's attention
to deliver up many valuable examples of details probably
quite unknown at the present time.

There are collateral subjects connected with the study
of Armour and Arms which the exigencies of space
have compelled me to wholly or partially omit, such as
heraldry, mantling and the changes it underwent, capar-
isoning and barding, the later development of weapons
of precision, history and varieties of the sword, &c., some
of which would require special monographs to deal with,
and do full justice to, the subject.

One of the main ideas has been the simplification of
those points upon which the majority of the books extant
are either silent or deal with in a casual and unsatisfying
manner. One period especially, which gave me infinite
trouble as a student, is that between 1320 and 1360, while
another feature, generally omitted or hurriedly glossed over,
is the equipment of the common soldier.

xiv PREFACE

In conclusion I must express my deep sense of obligation
to the authorities connected with the Tower of London, the
Wallace Collection, the British Museum Manuscript De-
partment, the South Kensington Museum, the Rotunda at
Woolwich, the Edinburgh Castle Museum, the United
Service Institution, the Armourers' Hall, &c., for the
kind facilities they have willingly and promptly afforded
for sketching, photographing, and examining the various
exhibits preserved in those institutions.

CHARLES HENRY ASHDOWN.

MONASTFRY ClOSE,

St. Albans, Herts.

The Author gratefullj acknowledges his indebtedness to Viscount
Dillon; the Marquis of Salisbury; the late Sir John Evans, K.C.B.
The Very Rev. the Dean of Ely, D.D. ; Sir Ralph Payne-Gallwey, Bart.
H. J. Toulmin, Esq., J. P. ; A. F. Calvert, Esq. ; W. Page, Esq., F.S.A.
£. J. Hunt, Esq., B.A. ; H. R. Wilton-Hall, Esq.

CONTENTS

CHAP. PAOB

I. WEAPONS OF PREHISTORIC MAN 1

II. THE ASSYRIANS 20

III. THE ROMANS 36

IV. SAXONS AND DANES 47

V. THE NORMAN PERIOD TO 1180 65

VI. THE CHAIN MAIL PERIOD, 1180-1250 81

VII. CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 97

VIIL THE CYCLAS PERIOD, 1325-1335 . 139

IX. THE STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR PERIOD,

1335-1360 146

X. THE CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410 . . . 166

XI. THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430 194

XIL THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 213

XIIL THE TRANSITION PERIOD, 1500-1525 266

XIV. MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 275

XV. THE HALF-ARMOUR PERIOD AFTER 1600 .... 313

XVI. WEAPONS OF THE EARLY AND MIDDLE AGES . . 320

XVII. PROJECTILE-THROWING ENGINES 340

XVIIL GERMAN, ITALIAN, AND OTHER INFLUENCES UPON

EUROPEAN ARMOUR 349

I XIX. THE INTRODUCTION OF GUNPOWDER AND ITS INFLU-
ENCE UPON ARMOUR 360
:

BRITISH AND FOREIGN

ARMS AND ARMOUR

CHAPTER I

WEAPONS OF PREHISTORIC MAN

THE STONE AGE

'he prehistoric man of the Stone Age had undoubtedly
one of the most difficult materials to deal with that can
possibly be conceived, inasmuch as it was intensely hard,
very brittle, and, so far as flint is concerned, occurred
naturally only in comparatively small masses. Yet with this
crude matter, and with implements of the same material,
he succeeded in producing implements for husbandry and
domestic use, weapons of war and for the chase, which
excite our warmest admiration, both for the beauty of their
proportions and the exquisite skill required in their manu-
facture. To the worker in flint the number of objects
capable of being produced in that exceedingly refractory
medium was limited, but these as the age progressed were
eventually of a very high order of excellence, probably
deemed unattainable by the earlier man. We will take the
different weapons in the order of their importance, premis-
ing that in this chapter we shall have no armour to deal
with, though doubtless the man of the very earliest age

2 ARMS AND ARMOUR

had some protection in the way of skins, plaited osier, or
bark with which to ward off hostile blows, in addition

to the shield, which is common to

every race without exception when

in the savage state.

Celts.— The word "celt," said to

be derived from a doubtful Latin
/J word signifying a chisel, is the name

by which a particularly large and

widely distributed class of weapons

or implements is

kno^vn. The word

has no connection

with the Celtic

people, and should

be pronounced "selt"
and not "kelt," as one frequently hears.
The form of the celt is well known,
inasmuch as many hundreds exist in our
museums and private collections. They
are found widely distributed in all parts
of Europe, and generally throughout the
known world, being regarded in many
places in mediaeval and even in modem
times with superstitious reverence as
thunderbolts with inherent mystical
qualities.

The primitive celts occurring in Eng-
land are simply flints roughly chipped
into form with unsharpened edges, and are chiefly found
in those counties where flint abounds. They are not.

Fio. 1.— Stone cell with
cntUng edge.

Via. 2.— Stono celt with
cutting erige.

WEAPONS OF PREHISTORIC MAN

however, confined to them, but occur in other parts where
flint is not abundant, being fabricated in a different
material such as agate, quartz, granite, obsidian, clay-
slate, greenstone, serpentine, and other rocks. These
crude celts, being merely chipped out and very roughly
formed, are at times difficult of recognition ; they belong to

I Fig. 3. — Celt with ground edge. FiG. 4. — Stone celt with polished surface.

e Palaeolithic or earlier period of the Stone Age. The
second development of the celt appears in the grinding of
one edge so as to produce a cutting portion (Figs. 1, 2),
the ruder ones simply having a serrated edge produced
by being chipped. This grinding was doubtless executed
by means of sand and water, and in scores of examples a
remarkably even result has been obtained (Fig. 3). The
third form in which the celt is polished all over is the
highest development and the most recent (Fig. 4), and is

ARMS AND ARMOUR

classed in the Neolithic period. Some of these liave orna-
mentation upon them in the form of ribs running longitu-
dinally upon the sides, and some are bored with a circular
or oblong hole. For use these celts were fixed transversely
at the end of a haft of wood either by binding or by the
wood being cleft for their insertion ; in peace they per-
formed all the offices which are asso-
ciated with a hatchet, and in war those
of a battle-axe.

Spcai'-hcadji. — The greater part of
tliese belong to the later period, and are
remarkable for the care and attention
which has been bestowed upon tlieir
construction. They invariably present a
lance-like outline of symmetrical pro-
portions with the edge in one plane,
and are chipped so as to be very thin
(Fig. 5) ; at times notches occur upon
either side to facilitate their fixing into
the end of the spear shaft and being
bound firmly in it. Others have been
found with the cutting edge carefully
ground and polished, but with the tang only chipped
and the edges serrated to afford a firm grip for the
sinews used to affix it to the shaft. They vary in length
from three to ten or more inches.

Arrmv-hcads and Javelin-heads, — The earliest forms
of these are simply elongated splinters of flint or other
stone, and undoubtedly were simply tied upon or inserted
in the end of the arrow shaft by a ligament. They show
but little work, simply as much as was necessary to give

FlO. & — Flint spear-
head.

WEAPONS OF PREHISTORIC MAN

a satisfactory point, and to provide a tang for fixing.

These may be termed lozenge-shaped (Fig. 6), and side

by side with them are those of a leaf-shape

— these two being the designs presenting the

least amount of work and skill in fabrication.

Subsequently a barbed and tanged variety was

evolved, showing the maximum amount of

technical skill in the making, and having

the most deadly properties by reason of the

difficulty of extraction when once inserted

under the skin (Figs. 7, 8). They are as a

rule of symmetrical proportions, the barbs

carefully chipped to offer the least amount

of resistance to the penetrative force of the

arrow, and even at times a certain amount

of polishing and grinding was added to fig. 6.— Lozenge-

, 1.11 shaped arrow-head.

msure keenness to the pomt and edge.

The British Museum is in possession of
a number of these arrow-heads, which
may be considered almost as works of
art, together with some of larger propor-
tions which undoubtedly
formed the heads of jave-
lins (Fig. 9). Being fabri-
cated of such imperishable
material they have natur-
ally been preserved in very
large numbers, and hardly
a museum exists without
at least a few specimens being contained in it. In the
media3val period many quaint superstitions were associated

Fig. 7.— Barbed arrow-
head.

Fig. 8.— Barbed
arrow-head.

ARMS AND ARMOUR

with them, and their preservation as amulets, charms,
and general attributes of curative powers, kc, has led
to the handing down to the present generation of scores
which would probably have been broken up in the ordinary
course of events.

Daggers, — The dagger is one of the commonest forms
of weapon relating to the Stone Age, as might be supposed

FlO. 9. — Javelin-head. Fm. 10.— Dagger from
British Museum.

Flo. 11. — Dagger from
British Museum.

from its simple form and easy construction when compared
with others. In its crudest and earliest condition it merely
consisled of a flint rudely chipped to a point at one end ;
but subsequently it assumed a more definite form, and
almost equal attention was paid to the handle and to the
blade. The latter was invariably leaf-shaped, and broader
towards the point than at the butt, where it is usu-
ally rounded or cut off .square. The beautiful example.
Fig. 10, is of white flint and may l)e .seen in the liritish

WEAPONS OF PREHISTORIC MAN

Museum, while Fig. 11 from the same collection is of
black flint and about eight inches in length. As this is
thickened at the butt it may have been used without
any handle, but undoubtedly most of these blades were
so mounted, and in Fig. 12 we have an example of the

lotched variety, where two indentations are perceived on

iither side for the passage of the tendons

ixing the blade to the handle. In a few

jases a shaped handle having a pommel

md a grip, and with the blade formed

mt of the same piece of flint, has been

liscovered ; the weapons in these instances

lave been ten or twelve inches in length,

md modelled precisely the same as the
[bronze dagger which succeeded them.
[The highest type of flint weapons of the
rger class are those which have been
discovered in Egypt ; they are provided
with long thin blades, beautifully ground
or chipped on one side to form an edge,
and elaborately serrated upon the thicker fig. 12.— Dagger with
side forming the back, with cross ripple
markings for ornamentation, the whole forming a specimen
of clever handicraft and skilful workmanship which can only
be adequately appreciated by actual inspection.

Among the weapons of the Stone Age may be men-
tioned the sling-stones, which are found in considerable
numbers in countries where flints abound ; they are of a
lens-like shape and from two to three inches in diameter,
being probably formed in this manner for insertion in a
cleft stick which was used for throwing them. Balls of

ARMS AND ARMOUR

stone are also occasionally found with grooves in them,
which suggest the presence at one time of string; these
may have been used as weapons for throwing with the
string attached, or wielded in the hand as a flail.

Battle-axes, — Although the celt may be regarded as
fulfilling the functions of a battle-axe among its other

Fia. 13.— Btone battle-axe.

Fk;. 14.— Battle-axe.

manifold duties, yet a true battle-axe was evolved by the
Stone man towards the latter part of his existence. It
was invariably perforated by a circular hole, effected
by grinding, and as a rule assumed approximately the
shape shown in Fig. 18. Examples of these battle-axes
have been found with cutting projections upon each side
of the shaft ; this was probably the prototype of the
bipennis subsequently made in bronze and finally in iron.
An example is shown in Tig. 14.

WEAPONS OF PREHISTORIC MAN

THE BRONZE AGE

The term " Bronze Age," so generally used for the period
immediately preceding the introduction of iron, conveys
to most readers very scanty ideas as to the duration of
time over which it extended. Indeed, to those thoroughly
conversant with the subject, the chronological arrange-
ments of the various periods of the age, and the group-
ing together of these into one comprehensive whole, is
practically a case for individual calculation, and these tally
but seldom. However, it may be taken that, speaking
broadly, the bronze period commenced in Britain about
1500 B.C., and at a much earlier age upon the Continent,
one authority placing it as early as 3000 B.C. Iron was
in general use about three or four centuries before Christ
on the Continent, and Caesar makes no mention of bronze
in his description of the weapons and accoutrements of
the Britons.

Celts, — Of all the varying forms of bronze implements
the celt is probably the most widely distributed and the
best known, and there is every reason to believe it was
the first of the articles to be manufactured. It is gener-
ally admitted to be both an implement for everyday
use and also a weapon of war. Its general utility was
that of a chisel, a wedge, or a wood-splitting hatchet ;
in war it was the prototype of the battle-axe. It is of
very wide distribution, being found all over the Continent
of Europe, and has many varieties. In order of develop-
ment the flat celt is undoubtedly the earliest, and was
derived from the celt of the Stone Age, the example

ARMS AND ARMOUR

shown in Fig. 15 differing but little from the flint proto-
type. This pattern gradually developed until one similar

Fia. 15.— Earliest
bronze celt.

Fia. 16.— Later celt.

Fia. 17.— Celt, flange*
and ridged.

to Fig. IG was evolved. From this crude form tlie
flanged variety was produced, giving an
extra grip for tlie handle ; then a transverse
ridge was added, thus forming two recep-
tacles to receive the split end of the handle
(Fig. 17). The latest development of the
celt is that in whicli a socket is made for
the insertion of the handle (Fig. 18).

The relative form of the handle with
the celt affixed has been much discussed,
but the consensus of opinion leads one to
believe that the handle was somewhat in
the shape of a hockey-stick, the bent part

Fio. 18.— Laiwtde- being inserted in the socket of the celt.
Before the evolution of the socketed celt

the latter was inserted in a cleft stick and projected from

WEAPONS OF PREHISTORIC MAN 11

one side at right angles, being firmly bound in that
position by cross-lacing. This projection doubtless sug-
gested the bent stick of a later period.

Daggers, — Of contemporary date with the celt, and
perhaps of even more remote antiquity, is the bronze
dagger, which in its original simple form
may have been used as a knife for
domestic purposes and a dagger for war,
though subsequently the two became
quite distinct. The general
form of the blade may be
gleaned from Figs. 19 and
20, where the ribs towards
the point may be readily
seen. This ribbing and
grooving of the blade are a
distinctive feature, and are
sometimes beautifully de-
veloped into a pattern more
or less intricate. The
handles were made of ivory,
bone, or wood, and are very
seldom found entire. The
method of adjusting the haft
will be gleaned from the position of the rivets ; the handle
was evidently either split into two pieces and then placed
on either side, or a cut was made for the insertion of the
tang or lower part of the blade. In some cases the pommel
of bronze has been found accompanying the dagger, and
also traces of what may have been the sheath. That
variety of dagger having a tang to fit into the shaft seems

Fig. 19.— Bronze Yig. 20.— Ribbed bronze
dagger. dagger.

12 ARMS AND ARMOUR

to be peculiar to our islands, as those found on the Con-
tinent invariably possess a socket into which the handle
could be fitted. Some very small and thin daggers have
been found side by side with flint weapons, which appears
to point to a time when the metal was very scarce, in the
earliest part of the Bronze Age ; subsequently the stouter
form of weapon shows analogies with continental forms,
and so points to intercommunication between the main-
land and this island at that early date.

Swo?'ds. — The sword does not appear to have been
contemporaneous with the early thin dagger, but was no
doubt a subsequent evolution based upon the dagger.
Of all the forms which have been handed down to us
from the most remote antiquity the bronze sword is the
most beautiful, and it is very questionable if any of the
hundreds of shapes of lethal weapons of that description
which have subsequently seen the light can vie with it
in symmetry of form and general gracefulness. Only one
other class of weapon of this period attempts to rival in
beauty the leaf-shaped sword, and that is the spear,
which is often of the most graceful lines. The beautiful
workmanship exhibited by these weapons raised doubt
at times as to their real origin, many asserting that
they were of Roman fabrication, but it has been
definitely settled that they antedated the Italian historical
period. Iron and steel were substituted for bronze at a
very early period in the Roman army, the shape, how-
ever, being unaltered. The fact that the majority of
finds of bronze swords occurs in countries where the
Romans never penetrated militates against the supposi-
tion of their Roman origin. The length of the blade

WEAPONS OF PREHISTORIC MAN

averages about two feet, though some are as short as
one and a half feet, and some as long as two and a half.
The hilt plate alters much in
form, and there are many varie-
ties: the handle was of wood,
bone, or horn, split into two
plates and riveted on either side
(Figs. 21, 22). The blade was
apparently cast in a mould so
carefully made that there was no
necessity for file- work or hammer-
ing afterwards, the edges being
formed by the uniform reduction
all round of the thickness of the
metal (Fig. 23). Blade and tang
were cast in one piece, although
one variety which appears to be
common to the British Isles has
a handle affixed to the blade by
rivets, after the manner of the
dagger (Fig. 24). The rivet heads
occasionally show signs of having
depressions in them, as though
they were splayed by a punch,
while some have been closed by
a hollow punch so as to leave a
small stud. Occasionally swords
are found having the hilt and
finished blade cast in one piece,
while others occur bearing signs of the hilt being cast
upon the blade. A few swords have been found with

Fig. 21.— Bronze Fig. 22. — Bronze
sword. sword showing

rivet-holes.

ARMS AND ARMOUR

gold ornamentation upon the hilts, and many in which the
blade is decorated with a pattern produced in the casting.

1^ Although of bronze, and therefore not subject
\ in any great degree to aerial oxidation, the
■ I sword appears to have been universally pro-
tected by enclosure in a scabbard. These in
some instances were of bronze, but more often
of leather or wood, with fittings of bronze, and
in all cases the scabbard was of
greater length than the blade it
contained. Some scabbards even
appear of fantastic forms, as
though the man of the Bronze
Age, like his successor of the
Iron Period, was not averse to
the occasional outshining of his
fellow-man.

The Speai\ — The spear is un-
doubtedly of the most remote
antiquity, and dates far back into
the Stone Period; its inception
seems to be inherent in all
savage tribes, and is a natural
evolution of the idea of inflicting
injury upon a foe at a distance,
and again of preventing his ap-
proach to do personal harm. The

Fio. 23.~Bronze Fio. 24.— British • •. • i i i • i. j

•word with cart .word witi, riv- pruTutive man probably pomted a

«*««• •**«^ h»>nei\^ long stick by attrition on a rock,

and subsequently hardened it by fire: a splint of bone,

being harder than the wood, occurred next, and probably

v\.

WEAPONS OF PREHISTORIC MAN

5ie flint succeeded, to be followed in due time by the
bronze head. The difficulty of affixing the head, however,
seems to have hindered progress at first in this direction,
for the bronze dagger undoubtedly antedated
the spear-head, which continued to be of
flint for a long period after the dagger was
introduced. It is highly probable that the
first spear-head was not constructed until
the Bronze man discovered the secret of
making the socketed celt by means of a
core placed within the mould ; with the
advent of this invention spear-heads became
possible. Of course it may be open to
question whether any of the blades with
tangs were really spear-heads and not
daggers, or incipient sword-blades. Some
spear-heads have been found which are un-
doubtedly of the tanged description, but
they are not of British, and possibly not
even of European origin. The general form
of the head tends towards the leaf-shape,
though this is not so pronounced as it is
in the sword (Fig. 25). The advent of the
spear -head occurred when man had de-
veloped considerable skill in the casting of
bronze and its manipulation under the spear-head, leaf-
hammer, and the really extraordinary deft- ^ *^^
ness shown in making the core, so that the minimum
of metal was used with the maximum of effect and
strength, calls forth the warmest admiration. Some of
these cores are prolonged through the centre of the

Fig. 25. — Bronze

ARMS AND ARMOUR

blade, so that the metal is really attenuated, but at the
same time of uniform thickness, the inserted staff pro-
viding the necessary rigidity. Respecting the
PH sizes of those found there can be no question
11 but that the larger heads (and some have been
found nearly a yard in length) were intended
for use only in the hand as spears, while some
of the smaller are the heads of javelins, or
♦i possibly of arrows. The blades are at times
n «tt ^^ remarkable beauty of design and of excellent
•^ workmanship. The sage-leaf form is of very
common occurrence, the central core reacliing
to the point, and ornamented with subordinate
ribs which also strengthen the blade. In these
forms a hole is punched in the socket for the
insertion of a rivet to fix it to the lance shaft.
Others show two small loops cast upon the
socket for a thong to pass through, which
was afterwards brought down to the shaft
and securely fastened (Fig. 26). This variety
shows no rivet-hole. Ornamentation is by no
means rare upon these spear-heads ; it generally
Fio. 2e.— Spear- takcs the form of open work, such as circles
head with aper- ^^^^ ovals pcrforatincf the blade, and of filed

tares forthongs. '^ "

or cast patterns upon the sockets, some even
showing traces of gold inlaying. Rarbed spear-heads are
extremely rare, and were probably only used in the chase.

Arrow-heads, — Arrow-heads in bronze practically do
not exist in this country, although they occur on the Con-
tinent and in Egypt, where they are generally of the types
shown in Figs. 27 and 28. It is highly probable that

PLATE I*
Shield of Italian Workmanship, Sixteenth Century

A. F. Calvert

WEAPONS OF PREHISTORIC MAN 17

the flint arrow-head was in use through the whole, or nearly
the whole, of the Bronze Age, being retained because of its
efficiency and cheapness. Bronze must have been a com-
paratively rare and dear alloy, and
the weapons exhibit as a rule the
minimum of metal in their con-
struction compatible with effici-
ency; arrows from their very
nature are continually being lost,
and this fact alone would render
their use expensive.

Shields. Among primitive I^ig. 27. -Bronze fig. 28.— Bronze

. I'll • • 1 1 arrow-head. arrow-head.

races the shield was invariably

of wicker-work or of wood, and as the examples in bronze
which have been unearthed are of a high order of skill
in workmanship and design we may naturally infer that
they were of comparatively late introduction, and only

Fig. 29. — Bronze shield. (British Museum.)

appeared when the expert artizan of the age was capable
of producing plates of considerable area and of uniform
thickness. In the British Museum are several very fine
examples of shields, one of which we illustrate to show the
general form and shape (Fig. 29). It was dug up not far

ARMS AND ARMOUR

from the river Isis, in the vicinity of the Dyke Hills, near
Dorchester in Oxfordshire. It is circular in form, about
18 inches in diameter, and ornamented with two concentric
rings of bosses which encircle an umbo. All these bosses
have been repoussM in the metal except four, which are
used in two instances as rivet heads to fix the handle hi
position, and in two others to fasten buttons to the interior
of the outer rim. It is probable that a
guige was fastened to these buttons. So
thin is the metal that it can hardly have
served as a shield without some auxiliary
strengthening, and this was conjecturally
afforded by a lining of leather moulded
into the depressions of the shield when
wet There is no reason for supposing
that the metal now seen was the size of
the original shield; in fact there is a
probability that it was larger, and that
the metal merely formed the centre. A
bronze buckler found near Aberystwith was formerly in
the Meyrick Collection and preserved at Goodrich Court,
whence it was transferred to the British Museum. It is
about 26 inches in diameter, with no less than twenty
concentric circles of knobs and ribs, with the usual buttons
for fixing the guige. The general type of shield is that
having a series of concentric rings raised in the metal with
studs between the ribs. The ornamentation is in all
cases raised by hand with hammer and punch, and doubt-
less the metal was much thicker and the diameter much
less in the early stages of making.

A considerable number of bronze weapon -like forms

Fig. sa— Bronze
maoe-head.

WEAPONS OF PREHISTORIC MAN 19

have been from time to time discovered, the uses of which
are only conjectural. Thus long blades of a triangular
bayonet-like section occur, w^hich may either have been a
sword or rather rapier for thrusting only, or have been
attached to a shaft and served as a spear. Others, again,
have a socketed head from the side of which projects a
cutting blade of various sizes and forms which might be
the halberd in an incipient stage. There also exist short,
thick, scythe-like blades of great strength, with strong
rivets for attachment to some shaft, which may have
been constructed to fit upon the wheels of chariots.
Knobs of bronze occur having a socketed centre and
projecting spikes upon the sides which undoubtedly when
fitted to suitable handles formed the maces of the Bronze
Age (Fig, 30), or possibly w^ere portions of early " morning
stars " or military flails.

CHAPTER II

THE ASSYRIANS

The bas-reliefs of Assyria afford us ample materials for
becoming acquainted with the arms and armour of that
great and warlike empire, and our own national collection
probably contains the richest store of detail.

The Tunic, — This appears to have been of thick
quilted linen or of leather, as sometimes long hair is
shown upon it. It reached to the knees and had half-
sleeves : at times a pectoral is shown of large proportions.
Another, and much more military style, consisted of rope
fastened side by side, and so bound round the body that
it had the appearance of a tight-fitting cuirass. This
would be much more efficacious against the sword and
the arrow than the tunic. It generally terminated at the
waist. In the earlier sculptures there are no indications
of the metal cuirass or of greaves, but the latter subse-
quently came into vogue ; they were of metal and reached
to the knees.

In the invasion of Greece by Xerxes the Assyrians
are described as having defensive tunics of flax, which
were stuck together surface to surface by a soft mucilage
to the number of over a dozen, and formed an excellent
defence against a sword-cut. All the varieties of armour
are faithfully shown upon the sculptures, some exhibiting
the scale-like nature of a few cuirasses, from which we

THE ASSYRIANS 21

may infer that mascled armour was known to them as
to most Oriental nations.

The Helmet, — This was generally the hemispherical
skull cap so much affected by Asiatic races then and now ;
it was made either in iron or leather, furnished with a
chin-strap, and decorated at times with a horse-hair crest.
A design is sometimes seen which strongly approaches
the Phrygian in shape, having a portion of the crest
curving over towards the front, while another variety is
that of a truncated cone curved backwards. Defences
for the neck and sides of the neck are common.

At Marathon the helmets worn were " interlaced or
interwoven," from which we may infer that chain mail
was not unknown to the Assyrians ; it may, however,
refer to bands of metal plaited together.

The Shield. — This was circular and concave and, if
we may credit Herodotus, made of cane. The repre-
sentations of this defence bear out the assertion, however,
for the front is generally marked out in concentric circles,
and wherever the back is exhibited the same circles in-
variably appear. The light and tough nature of the
material would strongly commend itself for this purpose.
Occasionally shields are shown covered with leather, or
one plate of metal, while others have a surface covered
with lozenges, which doubtless represents a kind of pour-
point or quilted material stretched over the framework.

The Swoi^d. — The Assyrian sword as delineated upon
the sculptures was slung at the left side, and passed
through two notches in the belt so as to make it assume
a horizontal position.

The sculptures in the British Museum show the general

22 ARMS AND ARMOUR

character of the sword (or rather of the scabbard, for they
are all sheathed) with gi-eat minuteness. The pommel
is very elegant in form and generally carved ; the grip is
of peculiar formation, and there is no guard ; from actual
examples which have been found we know that the
broad blade has two edges and terminates in a point. The
scabbard is extremely artistic in form, and the whole
weapon partakes more of the nature of the dagger or
anelace than of the sword.

The Boxv was a favourite weapon and of the usual
Oriental pattern, being composed of horn, wood, and the
large sinews of certain animals firmly glued together. It
was carried partly unstrung over the shoulder when not
in use ; the total unstringing was not advisable because
of the time occupied in getting it ready, most Asiatic
bows bending backwards into an oval shape when un-
strung, and requiring much physical exertion and time
to replace the string. The quiver was also suspended in
the same position, containing arrows of some length made
of cane.

The Lance was of short proportions, with oblong and
leaf-shaped heads, often unbarbed ; it could be thrown, if
desired, like a javelin. The mace is also shown upon the
sculptures, but rarely.

THE EGYPllANS

The Tunic, — This was invariably of a quilted material,
thickly padded, and generally composed of linen several
times folded ; it could resist a cutting weapon but not the

THE EGYPTIANS 23

point of a sword or lance. Over it was placed the pectoral,
which covered the shoulders as well as the chest, and was
very similar to the mediseval camail.

T'he Helmet was of the semi-globular form as a basis
with various additions, none, however, of a distinctive
national character. The material used was quilted linen
of many thicknesses glued together.

The Shield was used only by the spearmen, and was
about a yard in height ; it was of peculiar shape, being
rectangular in the lower part and semi-circular in the upper*
where a round opening was pierced, through which the
approach of the enemy could be viewed with safety. The
outer parts were covered with leather strengthened with
rings and studs.

The Bow. — The main strength of the Egyptian armies
lay in their bowmen, who fought from chariots or on foot.
The bow more nearly approached the dimensions of the
English pattern than the Oriental, as also did the arrow,
which was at times over 30 inches in length. The latter
was made of cane or reed, feathered and barbed, the heads
being of bronze.

The Spearmen or heavily-armed troops were accoutred
in cuirasses of bronze scales overlapping, and supported on
the shoulders by straps ; or else in short tunics of heavily-
quilted material with bronze plates sewn on in a pattern.
Their helmets were quilted like the tunics.

Various weapons appear to have been used by the
Egyptians, but they were all secondary to the bow and spear.
The sword was straight, double-edged, tapering from the
hilt to the point, and constructed of bronze. Scimitars,
daggers, battle-axes of various shapes, and slings were in

U ARMS AND ARMOUR

use, while a speciality seems to have been made of the
javelin, which was hurled by means of a stick.

THE GREEKS

For the better understanding of the arms of the Greeks
it is desirable to consider those of the two distinct ages into
which their history naturally falls, viz. the Heroic and the
Historic.

THE HEROIC AGE

This period is approximately 1000 years B.C., of the
time of Homer, from whom we obtain all, or nearly all,
of the particulars respecting arms and armour.

The Cuirass. — This was made of bronze, as was the whole
of the defensive armour at that time. It was worn over a
linen tunic, and apparently consisted of a breastplate guarded
round the arms and neck with lames. That of Agamem-
non is stated to have had ten bands of bronze, twelve of
gold, twenty of tin, and six of bronze round the neck. We
have mention of the defensive equipment of Menelaus which
was pierced by the arrow of Pandarus. It first passed
through the golden clasps of the waist-belt, then the breast-
plate, and finally through a coat of mail which was worn
underneath. The cuirass was often very highly ornamented
by repoussd work and also inlaid with gold.

The Helmet. — The most elaborate helms were those
fitting lightly to the head and adorned with a crest which
projected before and behind, and was also furnished with
plumes. The simpler forms were of leather or bronze,
fitting closely to the head, and without peak or plinne.

A. p. Calvert

PLATE II*
Shield of Philip II.

THE GREEKS

The Gi'eaves covered the legs from the knee to the
instep, and from their form must have been constructed
of bronze or some alloy possessing a
large amount of pliability, inasmuch as
they were in one piece, and yet nearly
met behind the legs, where they were
fastened with clasps. Homer frequently
alludes to the excellent way in which
these defences were made, whereby they
in no way hindered the wearer (Fig.
31). It is conjectured that the bronze
used in the construction of the greaves
resembled in some respects the hardened brass or " latten

Fig. 31.— Greek greaves
(front and back view).

Fig. 32.— Greek shield.

Fig. 33.— Greek shield
(front and back).

of the mediasval ages, and that they were carefully moulded
to the limbs of the wearer.

The Shield, by far the most important part of the
defence, was either round or oval in form and made of

26 ARMS AND ARMOUR

bronze, protected at the back with hide, and at times
covered with it Strengthening discs of metal, bosses,
and rings of metal were also added (Figs. 32, 88). It
appears to have been of very great weight, even Ajax
on one occasion being embaiTassed by the weight of his
own shield, which we are told was of
bronze backed by seven tough bulls'
hides. They reached from the neck to
the ankle, and were often elal)orately
decorated. A guige appears to have
been fitted at times, which passed over
the right shoulder.

The Szvo?d, — Homer applies the
terms "long, large, sharp, trenchant,
^'"''^'^^^J^''"'^ and two-edged" to the sword, and it
is evident that it was of the same
description as that characteristic of the Bronze Age
(Fig. 84). It was ornamented with studs of gold or
silver, and the sword-belt was apparently worn over the
shoulder.

The Larice or Javelin, — This was by far the most
important weapon in the Grecian armoury, and plays the
chief part in all Homeric combats, which commence
by the spear being poised in the hand and hurled as a
javelin. It decided the contest as a rule, and it was
only upon its failing to do so that the combatants had
recourse to the sword. The lance was made of ash —
long, tough, and ponderous; the head was of bronze and
unbarbed.

The Bore, — Only one description of a bow is given
to us — that of Pandarus, which is said to be of il)ex horn,

THE GREEKS 27

strung with sinews (Fig. 35). The arrow-head is of iron ;
the only mention of that metal in the warrior's equip-
ment, and the arrows were kept in a quiver fitted with a
lid. The sling appears to have been relegated
to the lowest order of combatants, who occupied
the rear of the army, and sent their missiles
over the heads of those in front. The great
chiefs and the spearmen did not disdain to use
the stone upon occasion, and we have graphic
descriptions of the huge rocky pieces the com-
batants hurled at one another.

THE HISTORIC AGE

The equipment described by Homer had not
particularly altered in the Iron Age except in
certain details and modifications necessitated by
the changed order of combat. The heavily- fiq. 35.—
armed soldier, having already a tunic as a ^'^^^^^°^-
just-au-coiys, put on greaves, cuirass, sword (hung upon
the left side by a belt passing over the right shoulder) ;
the large round shield, supported in the same manner,
helmet, and spear, or two spears, as occasion required.
Men thus equipped were termed Hoplites, the term
"hopla" more especially denoting the defensive armour,
the shield and breastplate, or cuirass. The mode of combat
by the Greek phalanx necessitated the adoption of a long
and heavy spear ; the ranks were sixteen deep, and each
rank consisted of the men standing close together with
shield touching shield, while the spears or pikes, each

S8 ARMS AND ARMOUR

24 feet in length, reached 18 feet in front of the nearest
rank when couched. As a space of about 2 feet was
allowed between each rank, the spears of the five files
behind him projected in advance of each front-rank man.

The sword continued to be of the leaf-like form which
prevailed in the Bronze Age, and was longer than the
Roman sword of the following era. At the same time a
sword was in use which was the prototype of the subsequent
weapon : it had a long, straight blade slightly tapering
from the hilt to the point, where it was cut to an acute
angle for thrusting. A central ridge traversed both sides
of the blade, and it was double-edged. Upon these swords
and their scabbards a wealth of decoration was lavished
by the Greeks. The great shield of the Heroic Age gave
place to a round or oblong shield reaching only to the knee ;
it was concave to the body, and appears to have been
decorated as a general rule : one invariable ornament was a
flat band or border round the circumference. This shield
was the true battle-shield of the heavily-armed hoplites. A
much smaller and lighter one was used by the cavalry and
the light infantry, being made of hide with the hair on. A
cross-piece was affixed at the back for a handle, and a cord
was looped round the inside of the shield, which afforded
a grasp for the hand.

The helms all appear with characteristic neck-guards
and pendent guards for the face, which were free to move
upon simple attachments at the side ; the front is shown
to be protected by a more or less ornamental visor or nasal.
The crest, of which three distinct varieties are shown,
assumed many modifications of those varieties, but the
general arrangement was to lengthen it so as to extend from

THE GREEKS

the front portion of the helmet to the neck-guard, and
the upper portion spreading hke a fan. The body of the
helm in nearly every instance was made the ground for
elaborate decoration. To the crest was added at times one
or two plumes, the whole producing a striking military effect
(Figs. 36 and 37). The true Greek war-helm, however, had
very little exterior ornamentation, but was in every respect

Fig. 36. — Greek helmet with cheek-guards.

Fig. 37.— Greek helmet.

a most serviceable and business-like head-piece. It was
known as the Boeotian helm (Fig. 38), and the general shape
may be gathered from an examination of the Italian " bar-
buta " of the fourteenth century, its lineal descendant. A
fine helmet of this character is preserved in Case 24 at the
Tower of London ; it is of bronze, and was excavated at
Cumge, an ancient Greek colony near Naples. It is shown
in Fig. 39. Fitting closely to the head and neck, the lower
part reached to the shoulders; in front two openings for
the eyes, with a drooping nasal between and a narrow

ARMS AND ARMOUR

vertical opening opposite the chin and neck, gave a general
protection which was most effectual, and only exposed the

Fig. 38. — Greek helmets of the Boeotian shape.

absolute minimum to chance of injury. Its efficacy was
soon recognised, and it was eagerly assumed
by the hoplites and the leading Greek
warriors. The greaves now appear without
straps behind, and were retained in their
place solely by the elasticity of the metal ;
they are represented as adhering closely to
the limb, and were probably moulded from
casts taken direct from the wearer. About
400 B.C. the heavy bronze cuirass of the
Greek soldier, which had been transmitted
from the Heroic Period, gave way to a
lighter but equally efficacious defence, made
of linen crossed many times in folds and
cuDMB. (Tower glued together, such as we have seen used
by the Egyptians, and, in fact, by nearly all
Asiatic races. The mounted soldiers wore a shorter cuirass
than the hoplites ; it was moulded to the figure, and from
the lower edge pendent straps of leather were affixed for

Fia 89. — Helm,
breastplate, and
back plate from

THE GREEKS 81

the protection of the lower part of the body and the thighs.
These "lambrequins," as they were termed, were very
numerous, and at times ornamented with metal plaques;
they were longer than the Roman lambrequins of a sub-
sequent period by reason of the Greek cuirass terminating
at the waist (Figs. 40 and 41). The javelin or throwing-
spear of the light-armed troops was furnished with a strap
to aid in propelling it. A pair of Greek greaves are pre-

FlGS. 40 and 41. — Greek cuirasses.

Fig. 42. — Spear-head, dagger
and sheath, and bronze belt
from Cumae. (Tower of
London )

served in Case 24, Tower of London, which are probably
of the Heroic Age, as they are furnished with rings for the
attachment of fastening straps. From the same case we
have examples of the bronze cuirass, back-plate, and breast-
plate, with a bronze attachment at one shoulder for fasten-
ing the two together. An outline of the chief muscles and
prominences upon the human form are crudely imitated in
repousse work, and indications exist upon the back-plate
of the fastenings by which it was attached to the front
(Fig. 39). The bronze belt or zone which was worn by

ARMS AND ARMOUR

iiiuiiy warriors below the cuirass is also exemplified and
shown in Fig. 42. The fastenings in front show a con-
siderable amount of artistic skill. To this zone were
attached the lower defences for body and limbs.

The shape of the spear-head is similar to that shown
in Fig. 42. It has a central ridge strengthening the
blade, and is furnished with a hollow socket for receiving
the head of the shaft.

The Greek dagger was termed the " parazonium," and

Fio. 43.— Orcck Fia. 44.— Greek quiver
paraxoniom. bow-case.

Fio. 45.— Greek
quiver.

Fig. 46.— Greek
bow in case.

was common to all the troops (Fig. 43): it was broad
in the blade and came to an acute point, the general
shape of the blade being of a leaf-Hke outline similar
to the sword. This shape was subsequently adopted by
the Romans. A dagger and sheath from Cum^u differs
in form from the foregoing (Fig. 42), and partakes more
of the character of the anelace of the mediaeval period.
The holes are shown for rivets by which the wooden or
bone handle was fastened, and the sheath, which is very

A. F. CalveH

PLATE III*
German Shield, Sixteenth Century, by Desiderius Colman

THE ETRUSCANS 88

plain, terminates in a small knob. The dagger had a small
shoulder-strap of its own, by which it was suspended at the
right side in a sloping position
much higher than the waist.

The bow was of the short
form, and made of the same
materials as those used in the
Heroic Age. A quiver was in
general use by the Greek archers,
which contained both bow and
arrows, as in Fig. 44, which is

I • . 1 • , • ^i^' 47. — Etruscan helmet.

shown with its accompanying

strap. This, however, was not always the case, as quivers
are shown for arrows alone, as in Fig. 45, and also bow-
cases which are not adapted for arrows as well (Fig. 46).

THE ETRUSCANS

With regard to the arms and armour of the Etruscans
we find but little difference existing from those of the
Greeks, but certain developments occurred
which distinguished them from those of
the parent country and were subsequently
adopted by the Romans, thus laying the
Fig. 48.— Etruscan foundation for SL Separate and distinct style

soldier's helmet.

of equipment. The helmet m general fol-
lowed the Greek hues but had a tendency towards the
formation of a deep bowl-shape for the head ; also wings
were adopted, at times, which projected to a considerable
extent and gave a distinctly Asiatic character to the head-

ARMS AND ARMOUR

piece (Fig. 47). For the ordinary soldier a skull-cap
was in use with a truncated point upon the summit, and
ornamented bosses round the rim (Fig. 48).

Fig. 50.— Scaled Etrus-
can cuirass.

Fig. 49.— Etniscan cuiraFs.

Fio. 61.— Etruscan cuirass
with thorax.

Fio. 52. — Etruscan cuirass
with thorax.

I"io. 53.— Etruscan
bow.

The cuirass with its dependent lambrequins was formed,
like that of the Greeks, by joining a back- and breast-
plate, but the overlapping shoulder-guards, with a tendency
to meet in front, so often observed upon Etruscan pottery,
are quite distinct from the Greek model (Fig. 49).
Cuirasses are also shown made of overlapping plates of

THE ETRUSCANS

metal (Fig. 50) ; of discs or lames of plate sewn on a
padded base (Fig. 51) ; and one quilted throughout ap-
parently without any metallic de-
fence (Fig. 52). It has the thorax
attached to it, and being viewed
from behind exhibits that protec-
tion, as is also the case in Fig. 51.
As a rule greaves were not worn,
the limbs being entirely unpro-
tected. The archers had a cap
similar to Fig. 48, together with
a tunic of leather. The bow in
use was of a very simple form, as shown in Fig. 53.
The shield was circular, and similar in outline to that of
the Greek, but differed in its great convexity; the one
shown in Fig. 54 exhibits the interior, with the method
of affixing the handle.

Fig. 54. — Etruscan shield.
(Inside.)

CHAPTER III

THE ROIMANS

The defensive armour of the Romans differed essentially
in the early form from the later, or, broadly speaking,
between the Republican Period and the Imperial l^eriod ;

though it overlapped consider-
ably it may be as well to accept
these periods for differentiation.

REPUBLICAN ARMOUR

Cuirass or Lorica, — This was
formed upon the Greek style of
armour based upon the Etruscan
model, and consisted of a back-
and breast-plate, strapped together
at the sides and fastened by broad
epaulette - like belts upon the
shoulders (Fig. 55). These belts
fastened in front to a ring attached
to the breast-plate, and were permanently fixed, low down
over the shoulder-blades behind. The lorica was of bronze,
and modelled to the shape of the figure ; short straps of
leather were fixed at the arm-openings, which fell over
the shoulders ; at the lower part of the cuirass there were
two bands of leather, one showing underneath the other,
and both generally dagged at the edges ; below this again

Fio. 66.— Lorica of Roman General
(Republican).

THE ROMANS

Fig. 56.— Roman
helmet (Imperial
Period).

depended the lambrequins, often covered with metal studs
or plates, and sometimes curled and plaited. They were
of the same shape as the shoulder-pieces, but much broader,
and always of leather. The tunic worn under the cuirass
had half sleeves, and its lower border
reached nearly as low as the lambrequins.

The military cloak or paludamentum
was draped over the cuirass in picturesque
folds, varying according to the taste of the
individual wearer.

The Helmet was very similar to the
Greek model, and had a crest and cheek-
pieces (Fig. bQ),

The Roman leaders often affected the
laminated cuirass, or else that composed of overlapping
scales of bronze (Fig. 57). The shield was made upon the

Greek model, and the weapons
consisted of the lance, javelin,
and sword.

THE IMPERIAL PERIOD
With the advent of the em-
perors our knowledge becomes
of a more definite character.
The admission of foreigners into
the Roman army, although it
had proved disastrous to the
republic, was continued by the emperors, and not only
were the natives of the conquered countries enlisted but
also mercenaries were employed.

Consequently a great variety of armour and arms

Fig. 57.— Officer's lorica (Repub-
lican Period).

88 ARMS AND ARMOUR

existed in the Roman armies, but the essential ones stand
out prominently in sculptures, painting, and upon coins,
&c., and with these only will we deal.

The Cuirass, — The heavily-armed troops bore the
laminated cuirass (Fig. 58), which consisted of about
seven lames of steel encircling the trunk, each lame being
divided into two portions, which joined in the middle of
the back and in front. Affixed to the
top lame, back and front, were four or
more bowed lames passing over the
shoulders and working freely upon the
pivots which secured them. In front,
and fixed to the lower part of the
second lame from the bottom, were
three or four short lames pendent and
hanging vertically so as to protect the
Fio. 68.— Roman laminated middle of the body bclow the waist.
The lames encircling the body were
sewn down to a tightly-fitting leatlier garment, the true
cuirass, which was continued upwards before and behind
in order to protect the chest and throat and passed over
the shoulders under the curved lames. The whole cuirass
opened down the front, the iron bands being hinged
behind, fastening with a clasp in front. To the lowest
lame was generally affixed two rows of leather, dagged
at their edges, and the lambrequins descended beneath
them, one row of the straps being shorter than those
beneath, which fell lower than those used in the earlier
age.

The officer of the Imperial Period afTected the lorica
modelled to the figure as worn by the soldiers in the

THE ROMANS 8d

Republican Period, but considerably shortened and seldom
reaching below the waist, but the scaled cuirass was also
a favourite.

The Helmet of the soldier was simply a skull-cap
with a peak and pendent cheek-guards (Fig. 59), but sub-
sequently was furnished with a descending hollowed neck-
guard, a bar across the forehead acting as a visor, and two
cheek-pieces, hinged, which could be fastened together
beneath the chin (Fig. 60). During the later days of
the empire the helmet be-
came deeper. A common
form of ornament for the
crest was simply a round
knob.

The Shield, This was of no. 59.-Roman F^.eO.-Roman

two distinct kinds, a long, ^^^^^*- ^^^'^^*^-

rectangular, and very concave shield borne only by the
legionaries, and an oval, flattened form carried by the
horsemen. The rectangular shield was about two feet
six inches long, and composed of two plates of metal
overlapping, with bands of metal strengthening it at the
top and also at the lower edge, where it often rested
on the ground. With this shield the well-known testudo
was formed. The cognisance of the legion appeared upon
the outer face, and on the column of Trajan, where members
of the ** thundering legion" are depicted, the device is
that of a conventional thunderbolt of the usual zigzag
description. The oval shield carried by the cavalry (the
equites) and the light-armed troops (the velites) was a
much-flattened variety of the old shield, and in the later
years of the empire was adopted by the legionaries when

ARMS AND ARMOUR

the rectangular shield was discarded; it was, however,
considerably enlarged in its later form.

The Sxvord, — The early sword, like that of most nations,
was of bronze of the well-known leaf shape, and, com-
pared with those of other nations, comparatively short.
In the first century B.C. it had become modified into a
weapon about two feet in length, having a two-edged
blade with parallel sides, and the point at an obtuse angle

(Fig. Gl). A short cross-
guard, thin grip, and swell-
ing pommel completed this
remarkable weapon, which
when used against adver-
saries armed with lance,
javelin, or a long sword
must have necessitated the
Roman legionary getting within the guard of his adver-
sary before being able to use his weapon, thus implying
a high degree of personal bravery. It was worn upon the
right side, suspended from a shoulder-belt. Upon tlie
Trajan column, dating from 114 a.d., the sword appears
much longer than in earlier representations, and shortly
afterw'ards a long single-edged sword called the "spatha"
was in use side by side with the short sword.

The Spear, — "The spear that conquered the world,"
as a French author defines it, was the redoubtable
pilum, concerning which much has been written and
much disputation has arisen. It is most remarkable that
a weapon which is constantly alluded to as the essential
arm of the Roman warrior, and which has been fully de-
scribed by a writer, should be of such extreme rarity that

Fio. Gl.— Roman swords.

PLATE IV*
Shield of Augsburg make, Sixteenth Century

A. F, Calvert

THE ROMANS 41

its very form has provided matter for discussion and
dispute. The description of the pilum by Polybius, who
flourished in the second century before Christ, is com-
prehensive and distinct, but owing to the lack of repre-
sentations and of actual models, much misconception has
arisen concerning the exact meaning of his words. He
describes it as a weapon having a very large iron head,
which was furnished with a socket to receive the wooden
shafts. The socket was about a third of the length of
the weapon, and the barbed head of the same length.
In the Museum at Wiesbaden there is a reputed pilum,
but the marvel is that there do not exist hundreds of
examples of a weapon with which combats without number
have been fought over an area equal to the half of
Europe.

The large iron head mentioned by Polybius is an
obtusely pointed pike-head with three or four barbs pro-
jecting backwards to a short distance from the head ;
behind the head is the neck, which, though long and slender,
is capable of resisting a considerable amount of violent
usage. This neck is about twenty inches in length, and
at its base swells into a socket for the shaft, and encases
the latter for a good portion of its length, being fitted
with extreme cnre. The whole weapon was about six feet
nine inches to seven feet in length, and may be described
as one-third visible shaft, one-third shaft in iron socket,
and the remainder a slender iron rod bearing a large head.
It will readily be seen that, owing to the uncased shaft
at the base, the centre of gravity would lie between the
middle portion of the weapon and the head, thus adapting
it for throwing purposes.

42 ARMS AND ARMOUR

The particular purpose of the pilum was to deprive
an adversary of his shield. The method adopted was to
approach within throwing distance and hurl the massive
weapon at an opponent, who would naturally interpose his
shield in defence ; if the head crashed through the shield
the object was accomplished, for owing to its form with-
drawal was impossible, while the heavy shaft prevented
any advance, and at the same time hindered retreat. To
prevent the probability of either, however, the legionary
with sword and shield promptly fell upon his embarrassed
adversary, and there could be but one ending to such an
unequal combat. For use at close quarters it was also
equally efficacious, for, wielded with both hands like a
medifuval pike, it could resist with ease the sword-cuts of
the enemy; indeed Polybius tells us that the legionary
received the sword-cuts of the enemy with calm confidence
on his pilum, which resisted them with ease, while the
adversary's weapon was cut and hacked into the mere
semblance of a strigil, or skin-scraper. This weapon was
essentially Roman, and the troops wielding it were known
as pilani. The cavalry carried a long and slender lance
furnished with the amentum, a leather thong fitted nearly
two-thirds of the length of the spear from the butt, being
the centre of gravity of the shaft. This thong was of
great use in propelling the spear when used as a javelin.
The Roman dart was about three feet in length, and fitted
with an extremely thin point about six inches long;
upon striking any obstacle the point became so bent and
distorted that it was of no use for hurhng back again at
the enemy. The light-armed troops also possessed a spear
which was about four and a half feet in length.

THE FRANKS 48

THE FRANKS

were a nation of Germanic origin, and originally
occupied the land lying upon the north bank of the Rhine,
stretching from Mayence almost to the sea. They success-
fully resisted the advance of the Romans in the second
and third centuries, and eventually began an aggressive
migration southvrards, which finally resulted in the sub-
jugation of the modern countries of Holland, Belgium,
France, and partly of Germany and Italy. Long before
this consummation, however, we find that the Franks
freely enlisted in the Roman armies, and eventually formed
the bulwark between the western dominions of the
Romans and the fierce barbarian hordes who poured down
from the north in almost overwhelming numbers. History
teems with examples of their prowess as a military
nation ; their large stature, bold and wild aspect, and
utter fearlessness, rendering them at first most formidable
opponents of the comparatively little men of the native
Roman armies, and equally valuable allies afterwards. As
a Teutonic race we naturally expect to find them armed
with the weapons characteristic of the northern tribes.

The Franmca. — Under the Merovingian dynasty, from
the fifth to the eighth century a.d., the Franks used a
weapon in their warfare which has become associated with
their name. The francisca, or battle-axe, was a heavy
missile weapon which has been described by Procopius as
having a very broad blade and a short handle, but so many
varieties have been found that we must infer that his de-
scription was simply a broad and general one. Thus some are

44 ARMS AND ARMOUR

long and narrow in the blade and only sli^rhtly curved, and
some have a cutting projection of various shapes upon
the back portion of the axe-head. In use it was thrown
with tremendous force and imerring aim at an enemy,
the Frank being able to accomplish this because of the
freedom from embarrassing armour or clinging garments
which he enjoyed, and also, owing to constant practice, the
distance to which it was hurled was a very remarkable
feature. So heavy and strong was this formidable missile
that a shield was invariably crushed in or cut through, if
interposed, whilst a blow received upon the person inevi-
tably ended in death. If used in the hand the weapon
was of the same terrible character. It is questionable
whether the bipennis, or double-headed axe, ever found
great favour with the Franks, although it has been attri-
buted to them.

The Lance, sometimes termed the f?a7?wa, appears to
have been a weapon chiefly associated with the cavalry, and
not differing in any essential points from that generally
carried by horsemen at the time. Tlie head was of many
forms, and the socket always an integral part of it ; the latter
extended to a distance of eighteen inches or more from the
head, and was hollowed to receive the shaft, being fixed
in position by a rivet which passed through the wood and
also through two holes in opposite sides of the socket.

The Angon, — The angon was both in form and in use
similar to the pilum of the Romans. It had a barbed head
and a long, slender neck of iron, one found in Germany
being over a yard in length. A socket fitted over a heavy
shaft, and the whole weapon had a length of about six feet.
In use the angon was hurled at the enemy in order to

THE FRANKS 45

pierce his body or his shield; if the latter occurred the
soldier was practically deprived of his defence, as he could
neither advance nor retreat with such an incubus fixed in
it. The Frankish warrior, however, quickly seized the
advantage thus gained, and rushing forward dehberately
trod upon his weapon, thus dragging the shield out of
the hands of his opponent who, being left comparatively
defenceless, was easily overcome with axe or sword.

The Sword. — The Frankish sword was about thirty
inches in length ; the blade was broad, straight, and double-
edged, with parallel sides ending abruptly in a somewhat
obtuse point. It had a very short cross-bar as a guard, a
straight grip, and a small, slightly swelling pommel. The
scabbard, constructed of either wood or iron, was decorated
with plates of inlaid work, generally in copper. This sword
does not appear to have been universal in the army, but
to have been appropriated by those having an official posi-
tion. What may be termed a large knife, or a long
and heavy dagger, also formed a characteristic Frankish
weapon.

With regard to the defensive equipment of the Franks
we are in some degree of doubt, inasmuch as no national
armour was evolved. In the earlier part of their history
they appeared fco have disdained any defence but the shield,
but in the time of Charlemagne a simple hauberk of pour-
point was worn, covered more or less with metal plates,
and a leathern cap upon the head. The shield was of metal
and circular, with a central projecting boss or umbo similar
to that of the Saxons. The soldiers forming the ^Ute of
the army were provided with an equipment which was a
modified form of that worn by the Roman legionaries.

46 ARMS AND ARMOUR

Tlie earlier Franks appear to have been a nation of infantry,
but in the Carlo vingian period they developed qualities of
horsemanship which eventually led to their army being
exceptionally rich in cavalry, almost one half of their force
subsequently being classed under this heading.

CHAPTER IV

SAXONS AND DANES

The military equipment of our Saxon and Danish forefathers
is of much interest to us as a nation, inasmuch as we are
curious to ascertain with what weapons and with what
personal defences our ancestors were able, apart from personal
courage, to overcome the fierce opposition of the Romanised
Britons. That this resistance was of a formidable character
we may judge from the extended time occupied in the con-
quest of England, running into hundreds of years and
necessitating waves of invasion. They won the country
bit by bit, and the conquered were effectually displaced by
the invaders ; so thorough was this that practically the
Britons disappeared before the warlike Teutons, whereby all
their traces of occupation were wiped out and only the great
works of engineering or building skill of those " who built
for eternity, and not for time," resisted their devastating
march. It is probable that during the many centuries of
Roman occupation many of the Britons had learned the
method of warfare and the use of the weapons of their con-
querors ; and we know that British recruits for the Roman
armies were in considerable demand. Consequently we
may fairly assume that the Saxons were opposed by Roman
swords, spears, and javelins, and that a certain amount of
Roman armour protected the defenders. To this equip-
ment we may ascribe the fierce and prolonged resistance

48 ARMS AND ARMOUR

offered to the invadci*s, who were only able to found their
first petty kingdom, that of Kent, after a struggle of nearly
forty years' duration.

I'he Saxon Spear, — The chief weapon of offence among
the Saxons was undoubtedly the spear, which was of two
kinds — the longer, used by the cavalry, or in certain cases
to be employed against them, and the shorter, which partook
of the dual nature of a spear and of a javelin.

The chief authorities for Saxon arms and armour are (a)
the illuminated manuscripts preserved in the British Museum,
the Bodleian Library, &c., some of which date back to the
eighth century or even earlier ; {b) the written description of
the equipment of certain warriors of a still more remote
period ; and (c) the sagas, most of them of a warlike nature,
which not only laud the heroic deeds of warriors but
constantly refer to the weapons and armour borne by them.
But these details, necessarily crude and by themselves to a
certain extent unreliable, are fortunately supplemented by
actual examples which have been found in Saxon barrows
all over the country and preserved in many museums, from
which we are enabled to verify the illuminations and
descriptions.

A spear is found as a rule in all Saxon interments, or
more strictly speaking the iron head, the wooden portion
having generally decayed. From numberless references to
the latter we find that it was invariably made of ash, and
the warrior is often poetically referred to as the " ash-bearer."
The shorter kind is found in barrows, doubtless because of
limitation of space, and so commonly do they occur, that
probably every Saxon, from freeman upwards, was interred
with one. They are sometimes found reversed, with the

A. F. Calvert

PLATE V*
Italian Rondache, Sixteenth Century

SAXONS AND DANES 49

iron head near the feet, and the hollow shoe or button which
protected the end of the shaft near the skull. From many
measurements taken from the head of the spear to the
shoe, the total length of the shorter kind has been found
to be about six feet.

In some places portions of the wood have been found
still preserved ; these have been tested and proved to be of
ash wood, but in no case have these remains demonstrated
that the shaft was excessively thin as is represented in illumi-
nations, where as a rule only a narrow ruled line is drawn
for the shaft. Judging from the numerous illustrations of
mounted horsemen with which the MSS. abound, the length
of the longer variety was about nine or ten feet. The
accompanying illustration (Fig. 62) represents various forms
of spear-heads copied from Saxon MSS. in the British
Museum, from which it will be seen that no stereotyped
pattern was in vogue, but that almost every variety of
possible form was brought into use. That which at once
attracts the attention is the form of guard invariably used
below the spear-head, and which was doubtless intended to
ward off sword-cuts which might possibly sever the shaft.
They were of iron, and sometimes as many as three were
in use. In two of these examples the barbed form of head
is shown, which is the most uncommon, both in illustrations
and also in actual finds in barrows. Probably this form
was generally in use for javelins, the other variety being
easily withdrawn after inflicting a wound. In Fig. 63,
which presents examples of actual spear-heads found in
Great Britain, we notice that the shaft is fixed in a socket
which is always furnished with a longitudinal slit. Nails or

rivets were used to fasten it to the shaft. The absence of

ARMS AND ARMOUR

the cross guards should be noticed; probably they were
inserted in the shaft and formed no integral part of the
spear-head. In the Tower Collection, however, is a spear-
head, with a cross-piece similar to the guards shown in
illustrations, which was discovered some time since near

Fio. 62. — Anprlo-Saxon spears, Ac.
(Add. MS. 11695 ; Tib. c. vi. &c.)

FlQ. 63. — Saxon spcar-heads.

Nottingham. The short spear was not carried singly but
generally in pairs, and at times three are represented;
for instance, in a British Museum MS. the destroying
angel is shown with three javelins, one in flight, one
poised for throwing in the right hand, and one grasped in
the left.

The Sivord. — Swords were essentially cavalry weapons
among the Anglo-Saxons, and were not carried by any
person beneath the rank of thane. The earhest of those

SAXONS AND DANES 51

found in England have no quillons or cross-pieces, but
merely pommel, grip, and blade. The latter was long,
straight, rounded at the point, and double-edged, 30 inches
long and 2 inches wide at the hilt ; the grip was of wood
and with but little swell. The total length is generally
about three feet. Irish swords of the same period are
about six inches shorter ; both kinds were provided with
wooden scabbards. Undoubtedly this sword was fashioned
from classical models. During the later Saxon occupation
a cross-piece was added to the weapon; it became more
acutely pointed, and the pommel occasionally showed signs
of ornamentation. No. 2 of Fig. 64 is a sword found in
Cambridgeshire, and shows the quillons in an incipient form,
while the addition of a knob to the pommel relieves the
monotony seen in No. 1. No. 3, from the same find, has
the cross-piece enlarged, while the other swords show various
stages of development. The two swords, Nos. 5 and 6,
are from MSS. of the eighth century. A rare example of
the sword of this period is preserved in the Wallace Collec-
tion, and is shown in Fig. 65. It has a flat, crown-shaped
pommel, with five small lobes and short, straight quillons
rounded at the ends, the grip being missing. The blade
is grooved, measures 30^ inches in length, and shows
traces of an inscription or ornament.

The sword preserved in the British Museum, which was
obtained from the bed of the River Witham, is very similar
to this and is probably contemporary, while another weapon
has recently been found in the Thames with the hilt
upwards which is almost identical with that found in the
Witham. The blades of all three examples are about thirty
inches in length. The grip of the swords appears to have

ARMS AND ARMOUR

been made of pine-wood, judging from a few remains which
have been found. It is more than probable that the woo^l
was covered with leather, bone, or horn. That the sword-
hilts were at times of a costly character and richly orna-
mented we may infer from the Wallace sword, which has

Fig. 64.— Saxon swords of
various dates.

Fio. r>5.— Sword, iMh century,
traces of ornamentation
very rare. (Wall. Coll.)

traces of silver work upon the quillons ; the British IVIuseum
sword, which has the pommel and quillons inlaid with gold
and copper in a lozenge pattern; and from numerous
references in the MSS. to weapons with hilts of gold or
silver, inlaid work, setting of precious stones, &c., the
illuminations invariably showing the hilts and mountings
of a yellow colour, thus implying gold, or gold plating.
The sheaths were invariably of wood covered with leather.

SAXONS AND DANES

with ornamental designs painted or stamped upon them,
and mountings of bronze or more costly metal. The sword
is less often found in Saxon graves than the spear, as might

Fig. 66.

1. Taper axe.

2. Broad axe.

3. Brocd axe.

4. Taper axe.

5. Irish axe.

6. German axe.

be expected, seeing that its use was confined to the upper
classes.

The Axe. — The axe was a distinctive and characteristic
weapon of the northern nations, and its use by the Anglo-
Saxons is proved by references and illustrations in a few
late MSS. It is therefore possible that the Danes intro-
duced its extensive use.

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Its occurrence in interments in this country is extremely

rare, and but very few examples have come to light.

There appears to have been
three varieties in use, the
taper, the broad, and the
double. Examples of the
taper axe, found in Kent,
are engraved in Fig. 66,
Nos. 1 and 4; the broad
axe is sliown in Nos. 2
and 3, while a few other
varieties are drawn. The
double axe, or bipennis very
rarely occurs in illumina-
tions, and has not been
found in any Anglo-Saxon
grave. Its form is shown
in Fig. 62. The pole-axe
is a variety, and appears
in the hands of the Saxons
at the battle of Hastings.

2Vi€ Dagger or knife
was a weapon in common

use, and has been found in many Saxon graves. They arc

of various sizes, but probably

only those of large dimensions

were weapons, the smaller being

used for domestic purposes A

fine example from Kent is No. 1

in Fig. 67. It is 16 inches in

length, and provided with a small cross-piece. No. 2 is

Flo. 67. — Suzon knives.

FlO. G8.— From an Anglo-
Saxon Psalter.

[

SAXONS AND DANES 56

also from a Kentish find; Nos. 3 and 4, Irish. No. 4 is

remarkable by reason of the preservation of the wooden

handle, which shows traces of carving.

The use of the dagger is shown in a

very spirited little sketch taken from

an Anglo-Saxon Psalter of the Due

de Berri (Fig. 68), where the spear-
man has been assailed by a dagger of

the form shown in Fig. 67, No. 3.

The head of the javelin is barbed

in contradistinction to that of the

spear, as previously mentioned. Both

of the combatants appear to be

emerging from the encounter second

best. The long-bow was used by

the Anglo-Saxons, but not exten-
sively, and but few illustrations are

found in MSS., while examples of

arrow-heads in graves are uncommon ;
those illustrated in Fig. 69 are from
MSS. chiefly, and but few from finds
in graves. The sling was not exten-
sively used, although it is occasionally
shown in MSS. The accompanying cut
(Fig. 70) is from the Anglo-Saxon and
Latin Psalter of Boulogne. Other ex-
amples occur in Cott. MS., Claudius
B. IV., and on the Bayeux Tapestry.
Fig. 70-Saxon siinger. Faij,iy numcrous wcapous may be cited

as being occasionally in use, such as the bill, the mace,

the pike, the "morning star," &c., but they were

Fig. G9. — Saxon arrow-heads.

ARMS AND ARMOUR

in their incipient stage, and individual not universal
favourites.

Respecting the defensive equipment of the Anglo-
Saxons we are forced to the conclusion that the helmet and

the shield were the
principal portions, and
that in numberless
cases these only were
adopted, others being
considered subsidiary
or superfluous. In-
deed in the earher
periods of the Saxon
occupation they are
invariably represented
with these defences
only, the byrnie, &c.,
being essentially re-
served for the leaders ;
but as the nation in-
creased in prosperity
so the additional de-
fences were slowly
added.
The Saxo7i Helmet was commonly of the Phrygian
shape, but examples are plentiful of the hemispherical, the
conical, and the combed hemispherical, side by side with the
Phrygian. The foundation of the helmet was a framework
of bronze or Iron bands riveted together, of wliich the
principal was the piece passing round the head, and that
reaching from the forehead over the head to its junction with

FlO. 71.— Saxon helmets.

PLATE VI*
Italian Eondache, Sixteenth Century

SAXONS AND DANES

the plate at the back. These two were of thicker material
than the rest. Occasionally the latter band was produced
so as to form a nasal which became universal at the end of
the tenth century. Upon this substructure a leather cap of
varying forms was fixed, sometimes
with ornamental additions in leather
crowning it. The commonest form
is seen in Fig. 75, while other vari-
eties are perceived in Figs. 71,
76, and 77.

The Shield,— The shield was of
wood covered with leather, invariably
round in shape, but at times oval
and convex. The lime was the
favourite wood used in its construc-
tion, the " yellow linden " being often fig. 72.— Saxon helmet with
mentioned by Saxon poets. The ^°^^- (Add. ms., i8043.)
distinguishing characteristic of this defence was the
central boss or umbo, of which such a large number

Fig. 73. — Saxon umbos.

have been found in Saxon interments (Fig. 73).
It was a hollow boss of varying form and dimensions,
but generally about six inches in diameter, and pro-

ARMS AND ARMOUR

jecting three or four inches from the outer surface
of the shield; tlie wood was cut away to allow of its
being fixed, and across the hollow at the back a piece of
metal was carried, riveted at both ends to the boss.

This formed a grasp for the left
hand by which the shield was
carried, the umbo protecting the
hand from injury. As it was
often spiked there is reason to
suppose that at times the shield
was used as an offensive weapon
(Fig. 75). To strengthen it,
radiating strips of iron or bronze
were occasionally carried from the
umbo to the edges of the shield,
the simplest being a prolongation
of the grip. It was not a heavy
sliield, in no way comparable to
those of some other nations.
The mode of carrying the shield
when not in use is seen in Fig. 76.
TJie Byriiie or Battle- Sark
was at times made of leather. In
the figure reproduced from a British Museum MS. (Fig.
77) the coat appears to be of hide with much of the hair
apparently left upon it ; its lower edges are dagged, and it
defends the body and a part of the legs, whereas in Fig. 78
the defensive covering appears only upon the upper part
of the body. The byrnie was also made of padded stuff
judging from the illustrations, but the earlier examples
are so excessively crude and inartistic that it is rash to

Fio. 74. — Saxon umbos, from the
Herts Coantj Mnseum, St. Albans.

SAXONS AND DANES 59

make authoritative statements. When a forest is indicated
by four leaves and a twig, a mountain pass by a bulbous
mole-hill, and elaborate Saxon embroidery by half-a-dozen

Fig. 75.— Saxon king and shield bearer.
(MS., end of 10th century.)

scattered dots, it wiU readily be perceived that such a
technical detail as body armour cannot be definitely settled
by these rude drawings. Hence a controversy has arisen,

ARMS AND ARMOUR

which can by no means be considered as definitely
decided, upon the question as to whether the Anglo-
Saxons possessed byrnies of true interlinked chain mail.

Fio. 76. — Anglo-Saxon horseman.
(Cott. MS., Cleop. C. 8.)

FlO. 77. — Saxon byrnie of leather.
(Cott. MS., Cleop. C. 8.)

Hewitt in his "Ancient Armour" maintains the affirma-
tive, and contends that the references in the poem of
"Beowulf" to the "twisted breast-net,"
the "hard battle-net," the "locked
battle-shirt," the "byrnie twisted with
hands," the " war byrnie, hard and hand-
locked," can only mean chain-mail. He
further refers to the Rayeux Tapestry
where a body is being stripped, and
the links show inside the hauberk as
Fio.78.— Leather armour, they are rcprcscntcd on the outside.
These arguments certainly carry weight,
but until a bond-fide example of Anglo-Saxon manufacture
is brought to light the question must apparently be left
in abeyance. One of the modes of defence concerning
which there is no doubt was the sewing on of separate flat

SAXONS AND DANES 61

rings of iron to a tunic of woven material or leather, and
also the covering of the same with metal or leather plates,
either cut into the form of scales and overlapping, or
square or oblong.

A very interesting little group is shown in Fig. 79

Fig. 79.— Group from Cott. MS., Cleop. B. 4. c. 1000.

from a Saxon MS., Cleopatra B. 4, in the British Museum.
The book is ^Ifric's Paraphrase of the Pentateuch and
Joshua, and the subject of the drawing is the battle of
the three kings against the cities of the plain. One
king is habited in a ringed byrnie which extends to the
knees and half way down the arms ; he wields a sword

ARMS AND ARMOUR

with a trilobed pommel and short quillons, and defends
himself with a shield having a spiked umbo. His armour-
bearer carries another shield, but is quite unarmed, his
duty merely being to defend his master. The Phrygian
cap and simple tunic he wears are probably those of
everyday life. The second king has
no defensive armour and no armour-
bearer, unless the figure seen behind
him in a grotesque attitude fulfils that
office. The bifid beards and the char-
acteristic Saxon wrinkling of the sleeves
should be noticed, as also that the legs
of the group appear to be bare.

The leg-bands seen upon the Saxon
soldiery were similar to those worn by
all civilians, and adjusted in the same
manner; if, however, they were of
leather instead of the usual textile
fabric a certain amount of defence
could be obtained (Figs. 77 and 80).
It is curious to observe that a number
of soldiers are habited precisely as the civilians, with no
other defences than the helmet and the shield, from which
we conclude that the Anglo-Saxon of an early period
simply dropped his implements of husbandry at the call to
arms and took up the shield, helmet, and the spear.

Towards the latter end of the Saxon period the arms and
armour became almost identical with that in use on the
Continent owing to the constant intercourse which occurred
in the reign of Edward the Confessor, so that in 1066 the
difference in accoutrement was simply small matters of detail

Fio. 80. — From Anglo-
Saxon MS., Frndentius,
11th century.

THE DANES

The military equipment of the Danes was very similar
to that of other northern Teutonic nations, and no single
piece of their arms and armour has been immortalised as
of special significance with the single exception of the
Danish axe. Upon their
first appearance in Eng-
land the only armour
worn was a defence for
the chest, consisting of
a broad collar encircling
the neck, with depending
pieces upon which were
sewn flat rings, plates of
metal, horn, &c. In addi-
tion to this pectoral, if it
may be so termed, greaves

were used, consisting of Fig. 81.-Danish helmet, shield, and sword.

stout pieces of leather affixed after the form of shin-
pieces, and, judging by representations in illuminated MSS.,
carefully moulded to the limb, inasmuch as the prominent
muscles are shown upon them. This was probably effected
by boiling the leather and subsequently pressing it into
shape. After their settlement in England they gradually
adopted other defences in imitation of the Saxons, but
more especially of the Normans, until their equipment in
the first half of the eleventh century became in every
respect a replica of that of the latter nation.

The Danish helmet in its early form was a close-fitting
skull-cap fitting well down into the back of the neck ; upon

ARMS AND ARMOUR

this as a foundation the chiefs wore protruding horns, and
at times wings of metal, imparting a highly-ornamental
aspect to the head-piece. Later a conical helmet having
a knob upon the top and being made of metal or leather,
or a mixture of both, was adopted ; this in its fully-developed
state was fitted with a nasal (Fig. 81).

The shield is reputed to have been of the shape shown
in Fig. 81, which is taken from the prayer-book of King
Canute, MSS., Cal. A. 7, in the
British Museum. Presuming that
the illuminator has not allowed his
imagination to run riot we must
admire the highly ornamental form
there delineated, evidently founded
upon the universal circular shield of
the Teutonic nations.

The Danish sword was similar to
that of the Anglo-Saxons, and differed only in the scabbard,
upon which more labour was spent in ornamentation.

The spear illustrated (Fig. 82, No. 2) is that of Canute
as shown upon his coins, while the companion weapon is
that of the ordinary soldiery.

The Danish axe (Fig. 82, No. 8) was the famed
bipennis, consisting of two axe-blades of similar form on
either side of the shaft, which latter in a few cases was
furnished with a spike. The axe could be used as a pole-
axe for close combat, or, if furnished with a shorter handle,
be hurled in a similar way to the francisca. A variation
of the bipennis is seen in the companion axe, which is
furnished upon one side with a diamond-pointed cutting
blade of steel in substitution for the axe-blade.

FlO. 82.— Danish weapons.

PLATE VIII
The Bayard Armour in the Rotunda, Woolwich

CHAPTER V

THE NORMAN PERIOD TO 1180

With the advent of the Normans in 1066 the subject of
arms and armour in England becomes more definite and
exact. This is chiefly owing to the Bayeux Tapestry, to
the multiplication of MSS., carvings in ivory and metal,
and the records preserved upon seals. The date of the
famous tapestry has long been a matter of dispute, but it
is universally agreed that if it was not woven by Matilda
and her handmaidens it was certainly begun and completed
within fifty years of the Conquest.
Hence its reliability is undoubted
upon contemporaneous arms and
armour.

The Lance, — The head of the
lance was commonly of the leaf form,
and sometimes approached that of the
lozenge; it was very seldom barbed,
although this variety, together with
the others, appears upon the Bayeux
Tapestry. The horizontal bar-guards,
so characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon spear, are very rarely
pictured ; they were not, however, relinquished by the con-
quered nation, but are seen at times in MSS. written
subsequently to the Conquest. Nearly all the Norman
spears were embellished with pennons of from two to five

65 -P

Fig. 83. — Norman pennons
(Bayeux Tapestry).

ARMS AND ARMOUR

points (Fig. 88). The length of the spear appears to have
differed little from that of the Anglo-Saxon, and like that
weapon they were of uniform thickness
throughout (Figs. 88, 91, 92, 93, kc).

The Sword, — Remembering that the
Normans were essentially a Scandinavian
nation, we might fairly expect to dis-
cover traces of their origin in the sword
of the period, and this we find to be
tlie case. It was still straight, long, and
double-edged, slightly tapering towards
the acute-angled point The quillons
were straight at the time of the Con-
quest, but became bent in a small degree
towards the close of the period ; the grip
was without swell, and a spherical knob
formed the pommel. The scabbard was
suspended upon the left side by a small
cord round the waist, but occasionally
was supported by the hauberk by being
passed through a hole in the garment,
which thus concealed a portion of it
See Fig. 84, which dates from c, 1125,
and exhibits this peculiarity.

IVie Bow, — At the battle of Hastings
the Normans appear to have been ex-
tremely well provided with bowmen, in contradistinction
to the Saxons. The Conqueror is said to have reproached
the latter for this omission, but archers appear in the ranks
of the Saxons on the Bayeux Tapestry, grouped in small
numbers among the axemen, and arrow-heads of iron are

Fio. 84.— Figure from
" Massacre of the Inno-
cents." (Cott. MS.,
Mere, C. 4, c. 1125.)

THE NORMAN PERIOD TO 1180 67

occasionally found in Saxon graves. It would appear that
all the Norman foot soldiers carried bows, and we know
that the rain of arrows from the sky had a marked effect
upon the fortunes of the day at Hastings. The bow was
of very simple construction at that time, and the quivers
were without covers, and at times slung upon the back,
so that the arrows are seen over the right shoulder.

l^he Mace, — At Hastings the Saxons appear to have
used the stone hammer and the Normans a mace having
the head heart-shaped ; they had recourse to this after the
lance had been splintered. The axe is not seen in the hands
of the Normans, though it subsequently came into high
favour with them, but many of the Saxons wield the weapon
which, from its handle being four or five feet in length, may
justly be termed the pole-axe.

The body armour of this period is of great interest by
reason of its complexity and variety. Upon the Bayeux
Tapestry there are delineated seven different kinds, which
are reproduced in Fig. 85. No. 1 is undoubtedly the
ringed byrnie which we have noted during the Saxon
period, and No. 2 is either intended to represent inter-
linked chain mail or, what is more probable, scale armour,
as it is invariably represented with the points of the
scales downwards. These scales were of various materials,
such as iron, bronze, leather, cuir-bouilli, and horn. Cuir-
bouilli was leather softened by boiling (generally in oil),
and stamped or moulded into a definite form when in
that condition ; upon drying it became intensely hard and
tough. It was a favourite agent for defence for centuries,
and did not eventually disappear in England as such
until the close of the fourteenth century. Nos. 3 and 4

ARMS AND ARMOUR

may possibly be composed of iron rings or discs of metal
lying upon leather or padded material, with strips of
leather sewn on between the rings. Some authorities
profess to discover jazeraint work in this representation,
which was a method of defence much used in later cen-
turies for archers' Jacques and various other garments,
but we have no right to assume that the Normans at

oooo
oooo
oooo
oooo

FlO. 86.— Details of armour (Bayeux Tapestry).

that period carried such a heavy weight of armour as
this would necessitate, or were acquainted with such a
technical and complicated manufacture as jazeraint work
implies. The circles, moreover, are too large to represent
studs. Nos. 5 and 6 are the ordinary markings used for
the Gambeson (or Wambeys), the plain quilted defence
which is perhaps the most ancient of all armours and was
known to the early Egyptians. It was padded with a
soft material such as wool, or tow, or cloth reduced to
shreds, which was enclosed between two layers of material

THE NORMAN PERIOD TO 1180 69

and then sewn together. Although offering but Httle
opposition to a lance-thrust it was highly efficacious in
warding off a sword-cut, or stopping arrows when not
delivered at short range. Against the mace, or a stone
from a sling, it was of little use in preventing bones from
being broken. This defence, with various styles of quilt-
ing and varieties of stuffing materials, was in use for
many centuries in England as an under garment, to pre-
vent the chafing of chain mail and plate, besides affording
additional protection, while among the rank and file of
our English armies it was often the only defence worn.
In MSS. it is shown in different tints, invariably self-
colours, but occasionally in stripes, chequers, &c., and
this serves to prove, if proof were needed, that the surface
exposed to view was not metal but material. No. 7 is
a crude representation of the ordinary conical helmet,
furnished with a nasal, to which is attached a coif or
camail of quilted material, defending the back and sides
of the head and falling upon the shoulders. As a rule,
this quilting was continued over the head, and protected
the wearer from the chafing of the helmet, while at the
same time it distributed its weight. At times, however,
this method was not in use, but a separate covering of
soft or padded material was adopted; in Fig. 86 it is
represented cut into the shape of a coif and tied under
the chin. No. 8 is an example of different markings
upon the same dress which is very common in MSS. ; it
is invariably introduced in those places where additional
defence was required or desirable, and probably consisted
of metal reinforcing the under garment.

It may not be out of place to deal at this point with

ARMS AND ARMOUR

various armours, quite apart from plate, which will be
referred to or illustrated in this work. Hewitt has dealt

with this subject perhaps more
fully and lucidly than any other
author, and the woodcut on
opposite page (Fig. 87) is
taken from his work. No. 1
is perhaps the commonest of
all, and will be referred to as
"banded mail." Its construc-
tion is fully dealt with in
Chapter VII. Occasionally the
lines between the alternate
crescents are shown double,
but probably that is only a
modification of this style of
defence. During the thirteenth
and fourteenth centuries it was
in constant use, and did not
altogether die out for some
considerable time afterwards.
It is interesting to compare
the variations in this style
either of the actual defence
or of the modes of delineation
by the artists ; the brasses of
Bacon, Creke, d'Aubemoun, Northwode, Raven, Cheyne,
&c., may be cited as examples worthy of interest in this
respect, though many more may be found upon careful
inspection. No. 2 is very common in ilhiminated MSS.,
and is occasionally found chiselled upon effigies ; the

Fia. 8(J. — Figure showing coif worn
under mail.

THE NORMAN PERIOD TO 1180 71

Trumpington brass is an example of its incision in metal.
No. 3 is generally found exemplified in brasses and effigies
of the thirteenth to the fifteenth centuries, and is by
far the finest method for representing interlinked chain

9
13

2.0

Fig. 87. — Methods of representing different kinds of defences, other than plate.

armour. It has a richness and reaUty which is unsur-
passed by any other method. On the brass of Sir
Thomas Burton it is shown in perpendicular chains;
horizontal on that of Sir WiUiam Bagot; large rings
are engraved in the case of Sir John Hanley, and there
are many examples of small rings. On the brass of Sir

72 ARMS AND ARMOUR

Robert Russell there is a remarkable width between the
parallel rows of chains, from which it may be inferred
that although the chain -mail proper linked laterally,
and also above and below, occasionally parallel chains
linked at the sides only were in vogue. It is probable
that the mail shown on the D'Aubernoun brass is of
the latter pattern. No. 4: early examples of this are to
be found on the Septvans and Buslingthorpe brasses.
No. 5 is taken from one of the Temple Church effigies;
a modification of this method, in which the lines are
straight, may be seen upon an incised figure of a knight
at Avenbury, Herefordshire, c. 1260. No. 6 occurs upon
foreign effigies. No. 7 is an example of the mail shown
upon the monumental statue of Sir William Arden, in
Aston Church, Warwickshire. No. 8 is from early wood-
cuts. Nos. 9 and 10 are probably intended to represent
banded mail, and No. 11 appears upon an ivory chess-
man of the thirteenth century. No. 12: this has been
mentioned as occurring in the Bayeux Tapestry, and there
are many other instances of its use. No. 18 occurs upon
the Great Seal of King Stephen and other examples of early
seals. No. 14, a variety of No. 12. No. 15, from a steel
statuette ; the indentations appear to have been made with
a punch. No. 16 is from an effigy in Bristol Cathedral,
No. 17, from Roy. MS. 14, E. IV., a manuscript written
and illuminated for King Edward IV. No. 18 is much
used upon seals — one of King Stephen, for example. Nos.
19 and 20, from Add. MSS. 15295 and 15297. No. 21,
from two MSS. of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries
(Egerton MS. 809; Add. MS. 15268). No. 22, from Harl.
MS. 2808.

PLATE IX
The "Rhodes" Suit at the Rotunda, Woolwich

THE NORMAN PERIOD TO 1180 73

Under the gambeson or the hauberk or both was worn
a tunic reaching nearly to the knees, and as a rule a little
longer than the defensive garments. It is well shown in
the accompanying figure (Fig.
88, from Harleian Roll, Y 6,
"The Life of St. Guthlac,"
a work of the close of the
twelfth century).

The Hauberk, — The hau-
berk was to the Norman what
the byrnie was to the Saxon,
the chief method of bodily
defence. The coif for the
head was generally a part of
it, with only a small opening
for the face, but at times it
is shown made in two pieces,
the lower extending upwards
to the neck and the coif fall-
ing over it. This was doubt-
less to afford better means
of adjustment for the gorget,
plastron-de-fer, or other re-
inforcement which was un-
doubtedly worn under it upon
the breast. The lower part
of the garment was generally
made to open up the front in order to afford convenience
in riding, but occasionally examples are met with where
openings are made upon both sides. For foot soldiers
no opening was, as a rule, necessary. In some cases the

Fig. 88.— Armour, c. 1190.

ARMS AND ARMOUR

reinforcement for the breast appears upon the outside of
the hauberk in the shape of a square or oblong pectoral ;
when worn thus it was possibly of metal
plates or studs attached to leather (Fig. 89).
Towards the end of the eleventli century
the different distinct styles of armour be-
came more numerous, and do not present
such uniformity as at the time of the
Conquest. Hefner gives an illustration of
tegulated armour (Fig. 90) from a paint-
ing on vellum dating from c. 1090, when
this system appears to have been intro-
In the original the plates are silvered, and some
on pendant

Fio. 89. — Norman
hauberk, 10G6.

duced.
bosses

scales of a figure
shown upon the right
are gilded. The
square or oblong scales
are shown as over-
lapping like slates
upon a roof, and be-
ing probably sewn
upon leather would
afford a good protec-
tion to tlie wearer.
Two soldiers also in
the same group have
chausses of mail of
the same description,
and the coif is continuous with the body portions of the
hauberk.

Fio. 90.— TefTulated
armour, c. 1090.

Fia. 91. — Scale armour.
(Harl. MS., 603.)

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y^f^

T^^^^V/y

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So"

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5^%>^

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\^^yvC O r^^^

Fig. 92.— Armour, 1148. (Add MS., 14789.)

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Chausscs of mail of various patterns apparently came
into general use about the commencement of the twelfth
century. They are mentioned above, and apparently in the
figure referred to (No. 90) are continuous scale work round

the limbs; in other examples
they partake of the character of
half-leggings protecting only the
knees and shins of the wearer
(Fig. 86). An excellent example
of this (Fig. 92) is afforded by
a small representation in an
illuminated manuscript Bible
of the date 1148, where, in a
capital letter F, the figures of
David and Goliath are intro-
duced, the giant lying prone
upon the central projection of
the letter with a stone in his
forehead and the neck of the
hauberk partly cut through.
This is beautifully illustrated
in Shaw's "Dresses and De-
corations." The liauberk is
shown continuous with the
coif; the legs are protected
by chausses of some pliable material, thickly covered with
protective studs. These evidently fasten doAvn the back,
and are drawn over the feet by bands or straps meeting
underneath. Later still, in a MS. written about 1170
(Fig. 93), we have an example of Gohath wearing
chausses consisting of a thin material which creases near

Fig. 93.— Goliath. (Harl. MS., 2803.)

THE NORMAN PERIOD TO 1180

the calf, and only a single row of the protective studs
down the shin. The short boot is analogous with those
worn in Fig. 88, though here defended, or ornamented,
with a few studs.

The Norman Shield, — The shield generally adopted
by the Norman cavalry was kite-shaped and probably
of Sicilian origin; it was either flat, or round so as to
encircle the body to some
extent. The protection
afforded by such a shield is
obvious, inasmuch as it
guarded the upper part of
the body where it was the

Fig. 94. — Great Seal of Alexander I.,
King of Scotland.

broadest, and by tapering
downwards defended the left
leg. It was invariably made
of wood and covered on
both sides with leather, in
addition to which extra de-
fences of metal were added.
Shields of this description
are referred to which intimate that the whole of the
exterior was of polished metal, though they seem to be
exceptional. On the great seal of Alexander I., King of
Scotland (Fig. 94), the rivet, heads are shown upon the
reverse of the shield, which fastened the plates in position.
It was held in the left hand by a bar or strap near the
inside upper portion as shown in the figure. The length
varied, but may be taken as approximately four feet in
height with a maximum width of two feet. The shield
for foot soldiers was somewhat small, as may be seen in

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fig. 88. At the time of the Conquest flat shields were
frequently used, but all were eventually bowed. The umbo
occasionally appears in illuminated MSS., but its use was
exceptional. In nearly every case a guige, which is very
plainly shown in many of the engravings, is pro\ ided for

suspending the shield round the
neck. The round shield (Fig. 95)
is of much rarer occurrence. It
is shown in Harl. MS. 603 and
other MSS. of the close of the
eleventh century, and was very
probably confined entirely to foot
soldiers.

The Helmet — The character-
istic defence for the head at
this period is the conical helmet
fitted with a nasal, thus distin-
guishing it from the Saxon type,
which did not possess this extra
defence for the face until a few
years previous to the Conquest,
when Norman influence began
to prevail in England. In the
Bayeux Tapestry the nasal is
shown upon practically all the Norman helmets, which
are invariably conical and not very high ; they were secured
to the head by straps under the chin, and at times by laces
to the body armour. The nasal continued in use until
about 1140, when it was generally discarded, but isolated
examples may be found in every succeeding century down
to the seventeenth. It was fixed or movable, and that

Fio. 95 — Circular shield, c. 1090.
(Harl. Ma, 603.)

THE NORMAN PERIOD TO 1180 79

worn by the Conqueror at Hastings was of the latter de-
scription, as he removed it to reassure his force by a sight
of his features when a report spread that he had been
slain.

A neck defence was at times fitted to the helmet, which
reached to the ears on either side and depended to the
I' shoulders: it is shown in Fig. 85, No. 7. Cheek-guards
also were in use.

It must not be supposed that the Phrygian-shaped
helmet affected by the Saxons became obsolete in the
Norman period ; on the contrary it is frequently repre-
sented in MSS. {cf. Harl. MS. 603, eleventh century;
Harl. MS. 2800, twelfth century, &c.).

During the period under discussion (1066-1180) various
additional weapons were introduced which the exigencies
of warfare appeared to necessitate. Foremost among
these was the military pick called variously the Bisacuta,
Oucin, and Besague, designed to perforate the joints
between the metal plates of the hauberk. It is shown
in Fig. 109, furnished with one point only, though
it commonly had two, as might be inferred from the name
Bisacuta. It was a modification of the martel-de-fer.
A dagger for the use of foot soldiers was also in use, adapted
for rushing upon and disabling knights who had been
unhorsed in a cavalry charge ; it was termed the Cultellus,
and appears to have attained occasionally the dimensions
of a short sword. One of the most ancient of weapons
is the Guisarme, which, in its earliest forms, is conjectured
to have been a combination of the scythe and the prong.
The advantage of having a weapon with a cutting edge
and also adapted for thrusting, while at the same time

80 ARMS AND ARMOUR

serving to ward off a blow by entangling another weapon
in the angle formed by the junction of the two, would
appeal very strongly to the foot soldier, by whom it was
chiefly used. The term " bisarme," by which it was
occasionally kno^vn, would indicate the dual nature of the
weapon, which consisted essentially, in all its multitu-
dinous variations, of a cutting glaive with a rising spike
at the back. It was always fixed to a staff six or more
feet in length, and at times the knife edge partook more
of the nature of an ornamental axe than of the glaive.
Frequent mention of "grinding of the guisarmes" occurs
in ancient writers, from which we infer that the cutting
edge was one of its valuable characteristics, while refer-
ences to the ** deadly " or " destructive " guisarme are very
common. Some appear to have had small bells attached
to their extremities to frighten the horses of the cavalry.
So common was the weapon that in Scotland it became
one of the recognised means of offence with which the
foot soldier was required to be provided.

The bipennis, or double axe, was still in use, but only
by the Saxon element ; the complete fusion of the con-
querors and the conquered led to its gradual extinction
as a national weapon.

A. F. Caivert

PLATE X*
Armour of Charles V. (Work of Negroli)

CHAPTER VI

THE CHAIN MAIL PERIOD, 1180-1250

The essential differences between this period and the last
are : (1) the substitution of chain mail for the jazeraint,
mascled, and scale armour which had formerly been used ;
(2) the adoption of the pot-helm or heaume as a secondary-
defence for the head in place of the conical helmet, the
coif-de-mailles, or the pot-de-fer under the mail; (3) the
introduction of the sleeveless surcoat and the crest.

The Heaume, — The term "heaume" may perhaps by
some be deemed to be hardly applicable to the head-defence
when first introduced, inasmuch as it was small in size,
fitted closely to the head, and was in most respects a helmet.
But inasmuch as a second defence was worn underneath
it from its very inception, the word " heaume " is an appro-
priate designation, as it infers a reinforcement to an existing
protection in the next few centuries during which it is
constantly in evidence. It may readily be divided into
two distinct classes, namely, those in which the plates com-
posing it are riveted together so as to form one piece, and
secondly, those in which a movable ventail can be affixed.
Further subdivisions may be made if desired, such as flat-
topped, round-topped, and sugar-loaf The word " heaume "
or helm among the northern nations simply meant a covering
of any kind for the head, and we have an example in the

Anglo-Saxon wserhelm, of which examples have been given

81 F

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fio. 96.

in this work. Of the first heaumes the flat-topped, or
those with slightly curved crowns, were probably the earliest,
of which the woodcut No. 96 furnishes an example.

A helm which is preserved in the Musde d'Artillerie
in Paris probably exemplifies the transition between the
Norman helmet and the barrel heaume.
The conical Norman crown is preserved,
but instead of the pendent neck and cheek
guards and nasal, the head and face are
entirely covered by a cylinder of iron,
which is complete but for a vertical sHt
covered by a projecting nasal and two
transverse occularia, one on either side.
In England very early examples may be seen upon the
monumental effigy of Hugh Fitz Eudo, in Kirkstead
Chapel, Lincolnshire, and in a slightly modified form in
the carvings of the Presbytery arcade of
Worcester Cathedral, also in the groups
of the Painted Chamber, Westminster.
Holes for breathing purposes are entirely
absent, the sole openings being a pair of
horizontal occularia separated by a per-
pendicular band. In this class may be in-
cluded the painted pot-heaume on a parch- fig. 97.— Painted •• Pot
ment MS. dating approximately from Helmet." c. i24i.
the year 1241, which is shown coloured in green and white
diagonal stripes, and is now in the town library of Leipzic
(Fig. 97). This flat-topped variety appears to have
been viewed with much favour, for we have many examples
of it in this period and in that immediately following. For
instance, the seal of Roger de Bigod, Earl of Norfolk (1281 to

THE CHAIN MAIL PERIOD, 1180-1250 88
1240) (Fig. 98), exhibits a heaume which is flat-topped,
furnished with two occularia, and nine small square breath-
ing holes on either side, strengthened with cross pieces of
iron. The seal of Richard de Clare, Earl of Gloucester
and Hertford, who died in 1262 (Fig. 99), shows a flat
topped helmet of cylindrical fashion, in which the occu-
larium is formed by one ornamental wavy slit of which the
lower edge is slightly cusped. The helmet of Hamelin,

Fig. 98.— From the seal ( 1231-
1240) of Koger le Bigod, Earl
of Norfolk.

Fig. 99.— From the seal of Richard
de Clare, Earl of Gloucester and
Hertford {d. 1262).

Earl of Surrey and Warenne, 1202 (Fig. 100), is of the
round-topped variety, and is remarkable for the narrow
occularium and the complete absence of any breathing
holes. It is taken from the Cott. ]MS., Julius, C. VII.

It is difficult to see the protection against a lance or
sword-thrust afforded by the heaume of Hugh de Vere, Earl
of Oxford, d, 1263 (Fig. 101), unless an interior plate was
in use to reinforce the numerous openings in the fore part.
The peculiarity of the surcoat covering the neck should be
noticed, as it is uncommon at this period. From the ex-
amples given it will be apparent that from the year 1180 to

ARMS AND ARMOUR

1250, the era under discussion, no heaume is represented
with a movable visor, and this may be taken as a dis-
tinguishing feature, inasmuch as they appear shortly
afterwards.

Whatever doubts may exist respecting the presence
of true chain mail in the early Norman period in conjunc-
tion with mascled, scale, leather, horn, and jazeraint work

Via. lOa— Heimot of Hamelin, Earl of
Surrey and Warenno {d. 1202).
(From MS. Cott., Julius, C. vii.)

Flo. 101.— From the seal of Hugh
de Vere, Earl of Oxford (rf.
12G3).

generally, no misconception can arise with respect to the
epoch under consideration, where, together with the
heaume and the plastron-de-fer, it formed the sole defence
of the knight. Chain mail has existed from very remote
antiquity, but owing to its nature is of such a perishable
quality, exposing the maximum of surface to atmospheric
oxidation, that practically no examples have come down
to us of all the vast quantity fabricated in remote ages.
There are in the British Museum some aggregations of
iron rust brought from the excavations at Nineveh, which
experts assert have once been hauberks of chain mail of

THE CHAIN MAIL PERIOD, 1180-1250 85

the true pattern (so far as interlocking is concerned), and
hence are credited with being the earliest examples in
existence. That the Romans used rings, together with
discs and plates, as defensive covering, backed by a sub-
stratum of a tough textile fabric, is well known; but
whether these rings were so interlinked as to form a true
chain mail has been much questioned. Discoveries have,
however, been made from time to time which tend to
prove that they were not unacquainted with it, and taking
into consideration the extent of territory they possessed,
and the number of nations owning their sway, it would
be a matter for wonder if they were ignorant of its
existence. Sculptures may be referred to which appear
to indicate true chain mail, but so many conventional
styles and methods were used by artists to indicate
defensive equipment, that it is difficult to arrive at a
definite settlement of the question. That this means of
protection originated in the East is undoubted, where its
coolness would be a great advantage; that it spread in
some mysterious way to the Teutonic nations of the
West is also certain, and we must look for its intro-
duction there to an age long prior to the time of the
Crusades. It was imitated, however, by the unskilful
western artificers in such a manner that immense weight
occurred and became an inseparable condition, and in
this manner during the early Crusades it came into
contact with the light chain mail, characteristic of
Oriental workmanship, covering the nomadic cavalry of
the East. These horsemen were enabled in consequence
to move with a swiftness and freedom quite impossible to
the crusading knights, thus being forcibly reminiscent of

ARMS AND ARMOUR

the ponderous Spanish galleons of the Armada, and the
small but liandy English vessels. In the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries the cost of true chain mail was pro-
hibitory to all but the very wealthy, in spite of great
quantities which fell to the lot of the victors in Palestine.
The manufacture varies under the conditions of time, place,

and requirements. Wire, or
what answered for wire, was
made in the earlier periods of
a very rough character, in
tlie manufacture of which the
hammer evidently played an
important part ; but later on,
when the art of wire-drawing
became known, the cross
section of a link exhibits as
perfect a circle as it would
if of modern construction.
This wire was wound tightly
round an iron core of con-
venient size, cut off in rings,
and each ring separately
treated by flattening the overlapping ends, piercing them
with a steel punch, and inserting a small rivet. This rivet
was either hammered to flatten it, or it was finished off
in a vice. The general method in almost every coat of
mail was for one ring to interlink with four others ; a few
variations occur, however, such as rows of rings occasionally
interlinking with other rows above and below, the use of
alternate double rings, &c. From the foregoing it will
readily be seen that the cost of production of chain mail in

Fio. 102.— Interlinked chain mail show-
ing method of construction.

THE CHAIN MAIL PERIOD, 1180-1250

labour alone must have been Mjbr.--'-
excessive. The strengthen- If
ing of the mail by insertion f{
of leather straps was occasion-
ally done, the straps being
carried through the links in
horizontal rows, while ver-
tical rows of strapping in
addition to the foregoing are
not unknown. In the metal-
work, also, the resistance of
mail could be considerably
augmented by enlarging the
rivet joinings. Considering
the intricate nature of mail,
it is no matter for wonder-
ment that neither in the
centuries under consideration
nor in those immediately
following do we find the
common soldier clad in true
chain mail, as every portion,
large or small, would be
carefully retained by the
knightly wearer. The in-
cised slab of Sir John de
Bitton, in Bitton Church,
Somersetshire, 1227 (Fig.
103), may be taken as an
excellent example of this

I .J J . Fig. 103.— Sir John de Bitton, Bitton

early period preserved m a church, Somersetshire. 1227.

ARMS AND ARMOUR

monumental effigy: the large shield covering the greater
part of the body has no guige, and is necessarily quite
flat, though doubtless convex in reality. The coif-de-
mailles is separate from the hauberk, and has a lappet
overlying the upper part of the gorget to protect the
junction there. The length of the hauberk can only be
surmised, inasmuch as the lower border is not shown,
but from other examples we glean that it reached nearly

to the knees. The mail gloves are
also distinct from the hauberk, and
bands, laces, or straps are used to
protect the junctions with the
sleeves : separate fingers are not
shown, but the gloves are precisely
similar to the mitten gauntlets of
the end of the century. The
chausses are of chain mail, and
continuous with the covering for
the feet. The heaume is not
shown ; it is probable that the
flattish configuration of the upper part of the head indi-
cates that a pot-de-fer of some kind was worn under the
coif, as in Fig. 104. The sword is long and broad, the
hilt having short, straight quillons and a cylindrical grip,
terminating in a circular pommel. The spurs are of the
short pryck form. It should be noticed that tlie artist has
drawn the figure too large for the slab, and has consequently
been compelled to encroach upon the bevelled edges.

The Surcoat is of the sleeveless variety, one of
the distinguishing features of this period, and reaches
nearly to the heels, being, as usual, split up in front and

Fig. 104— Rich. Wellesburn de
Montfort, c. 1270. Hitchen-
den Cbarch, Bucks.

THE CHAIN MAIL PERIOD, 1180-1250 89

probably also behind, for convenience in riding. It was
introduced in order to guard the mail from rain, and
indirectly as some protection against the heat of tfie
sun's rays ; but the chief reason for its adoption was that
it afforded a means for recognising the wearer, whose
features were now completely hidden by the heaume, thus
rendering it impossible in the hurly-burly of battle to
know friend from foe. Previous to this the nasal helmet,
although covering but part of the features, had at times
led to confusion, even as early as the battle of Hastings
as previously stated. Thus heraldry, which up to this time
had only been in an incipient condition, suddenly found
itself of the highest importance, and developed in the
course of succeeding centuries into a science, the study of
which was deemed absolutely necessary for all pretending
to the possession of gentle blood. The surcoat had its
inception in the long, flowing tunic which during the last
period dealt with had been worn underneath the hauberk,
as shown upon the two great seals of King Richard I.,
and the suggestion would be natural to transfer the latter
to the outermost position, leaving to the padded gambeson
alone the duty of supporting the weight of the hauberk.
The first English monarch to appear in this military attire
as an outer garment was King John, and he is shown
thus habited upon his great seal: while his rival, the
Dauphin Louis, who proved such an unwelcome visitor
in the latter part of his reign, is similarly represented
upon the French seal, as may be seen in the Harl. MS.
43, B. VII., date 1216, to which it is appended. To the
Cott. MS., XIX. 2, the seal of Alexander II. of Scot-
land, 1214-1249, is attached, and this also shows the

ARMS AND ARMOUR

surcoat. It was of white material or self-coloured, some-
times diapered, aiid generally bore heraldic charges. The

length varied, and both long
and sliort surcoats are seen of
approximately the same date;
the former reaching at times
to the heels and the latter
to the hem of the hauberk.
The material varied with the
means and taste of the wearer ;
the better descriptions were of
silk, richly embroidered with
gold and sometimes decorated
with precious stones, cloth of
gold of the richest quality being
also used.

The Crest, — Although much
uncertainty exists among ex-
ponents of the art of heraldry
upon the origin of tlie crest,
yet a little investigation leads
to the conclusion that it need
not be a matter of speculation
or conjecture. The first ex-
ample of the nature of a
crest appears upon the cap of
Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, died
1150; his monumental slab in
the museum at Le Mans, which
stood formerly in the cathedral there, exhibits the figure of
a lion (Fig. 10.5). The helmet of Philip d'Alsace, Count of

Fio. 105.— Taken from the tomb of
Geoffrey Plantagenet, Count of
Anjou.

THE CHAIN MAIL PERIOD, 1180-1250 91

Flanders (c. 1181), shows a lion painted upon the side of the
same character as another appearing upon his shield ; but
what is generally acknowledged to be the earliest authenti-
cated example of a crest fulfilling all the desired conditions
is that of Richard the Lion Heart, who upon his great seal
shows a fan-shaped ornament surmounting the heaume,
and upon the base is painted a lion passant (Fig. lOG).

Fig. 106. — Heaume, Cceur de Lion.

Fig. 107.—" Pot Helmet," from the
Eneit of Heinrich von Veldeke.

One of the earliest instances of the use of a crest on
the Continent is that afforded by a MS. in the Royal
Library at Berlin, and belonging to the end of the
twelfth century (Fig. 107). In this case an actual figure,
that of a red lion, appears, and not paintings, as in the
two examples previously cited. It is possible that the
adoption of a crest upon the helmet may have been partly
of a defensive character, for the effect of a sword-cut
would be very materially modified after passing through
a stiff erection of steel plate or of tough cuir-bouilli, while

02 ARMS AND ARMOUR

against the mace and the pole-axe it would also afford
some slight protection. In support of this conjecture it
may be noticed that crests at first were ridged and serrated,
somewhat after the style which distinguished the pike-guards
of the fifteenth century in their embryonic stage, as if pur-
posely designed to arrest the edge of a weapon. The many
examples which occur in an undecorated form preclude the
thought that they were invented in order to bear heraldic
cognisances, although they were quickly seized upon to
fulfil the duty hitherto borne by the shield and surcoat,
namely, to afford means of identifying the wearer. Of
course the fan-shaped ornament under consideration may
have simply been the outcome of that instinct for personal
adornment and decoration which appears to be inherent in
the human race, and which manifested itself in the mediaeval
period much more than now ; but when it is considered that
many of these fans are carried forward well over the face
and at the same time far backwards, the conclusion is almost
compelled that they originated in an endeavour to secure
more protection for the top of the head than the crown of
the heaume afforded. The great crests of a subsequent
period were never used in actual combat, but were reserved
exclusively for tournament purposes.

The Shield during this period was cut off as a rule in a
straight line at the top, and was convex, so as to partially
enclose the figure (see Fig. 108). It gradually decreased
in size, until towards the close it became the small, well-
known ** heater-shaped " shield which remained in vogue
for such a lengthy period. It was invariably decorated with
the armorial bearings of the wearer, which in the early part
of the chain mail period were mostly fanciful or devotional

THE CHAIN MAIL PERIOD, 1180-1250 98
and of a transitory character, but became hereditary as it
progressed. The only weapon of importance introduced was
the arbalest, which will be dealt with in the next period.

The equipment of the ordinary rank and file of the chain
mail period did not vary in any essential features from that
which preceded it. In Fig. 88 we
have two foot soldiers from Harl.
MS. Y6, one of whom wears the
Norman helmet, now truncated,
with a nasal, which apparently is
very long and wide. A similar
helmet, but minus the nasal, de-
fends his companion. The usual
hauberk of chain mail or a cheaper
substitute covers the body, and the
legs are undefended. The mode ^1^. los.-From the seal (i3i5)

of wearing the stockings and the of John de Bretagne, Earl of

cross bar below the leaf- shaped

head of one spear tends to the belief that the illuminator
was of Saxon blood or depicting others of that descent.
The shields are suspended by guiges in both cases, and
the fanciful decorations illustrate the assertions previously
made in this chapter. In woodcut No. 109 a very
characteristic group of soldiery of about the year 1220
is shown, taken from Harl. MS. 4751. The heavily-
armed arbalestier in pot-helm and mail is one of a force
defending a castle, and has discharged a quarrel which
transfixes an archer of the attacking party. Before him,
and apparently without any defensive equipment other
than a chapelle-de-fer, is a foot soldier with a military
pick in his right hand and a sword of short dimensions

M ARMS AND ARMOUR

in the left. An arbalestier is probably shown in the third
position from the front, and an archer fourth, while the
fifth is unmistakably a slinger. As was generally the rule,
no protective covering was allowed the slingers — the one
in question has not even a hat — who from the nature of
their weapon were perforce compelled to be always in open

Via. 109.— Soldiers, c. 1220. (Harl. MS., 4751.)

order when in action and at a distance from the enemy, and
presumably suffered less than the closely- packed bodies of
men-at-arms, billmen, and even archers. His sling appears
to be in no way different to the Saxon weapon shown in
Fig. 70. The last man is clad in a coif and hauberk of mail,
and is armed with an axe. At this period a weapon appears
in the illuminated MSS. which is apparently of recent in-
troduction, namely the Staff Sling or Fustibal. It is
generally shown in besieging operations pitted against the

THE CHAIN MAIL PERIOD, 1180-1250 95
defenders on the walls, or in naval warfare as in Fig. 110.
The action of the sling is readily seen, the loop at the end
allowing the bag to disengage itself automatically at the
psychological moment, and to discharge the stone. In
this case it seems to be
charged with some com-
bustible material to be
hurled on board an oppos-
ing ship. The slinger is
as usual bareheaded and
devoid of bodily defences.
Withhim is an archer also
discharging combustibles
affixed to the end of an
arrow. He is habited
in a sleeveless leather
hauberk strengthened
with round plates, presumably of metal ; a coif of mail or
leather covers his head. The third figure carries a sword,
spear, and pole-axe, possibly his own, and also the close-
quarter weapons of the projectile throwers.

The equipment of a man-at-arms at the close of this
period is well shown in Fig. Ill, from Auct. D. 4, 17,
in the Bodleian Library. It dates from about 1250, and
illustrates the defensive properties of leather in combination
with iron. The steel chapelle-de-fer covers a chain mail
coif which may be part of a continuous hauberk, as the arms
and hands are covered with mail of the same description.
Bands of leather round the throat afford the protection of
a gorget : they are affixed to a hauberk composed of leather
scales of large size and leaf-like shape showing the midrib,

Fig. 110.-

-Staff-sling, &c.
Paris.)

(MS. by Matthew

ARMS AND ARMOUR

while a belt round the waist and pendent leaves on the
skirt complete a most effective means of bodily defence.
The legs are enclosed in soft leather chausscs protected by

[i>^

Flo. 111. — Armour of cuir-
bouUli, c 1250.

Fio. 112.— Ch»pelle-de-fer, o. 1280. Figure
of Goliath from Add. MS., 11030.

metiil .studs, upon which is a cross-gartering of Icatlier thongs.
The only weai)on .shown is an axe of formidable pro-
portions. A spearman of c. 1280 is shown in Add. MS.,
11G39, representing Gohath of Gath, in which a chapelle-
de-fcr is a feature (Fig. 112).

CHAPTER VII

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325
The special points which distinguish this period are : —

1. The introduction of Banded Mail.

2. The use of Ailettes.

3. The invention of the Conical Heaume borne by the

shoulders.

4. The reinforcement of the Chain Mail by Plate.

5. The development of the Crest.

One of the most remarkable brasses in existence is that

of Sir John d'Aubernoun, in Stoke D'Aubernoun Church,

near Guildford, Surrey (Fig. 113). It is the earhest

known example of this form of monumental effigy either in

the British Isles or on the Continent, and dates from about

the year 1277, the fifth of Edward I. It is to be noted

that it is unique among the brasses of this reign by reason

of the knight being represented with straight lower limbs*

the remainder all having the cross-legged position.

Although the figure is somewhat disproportionate, and the

partial covering up of the lower parts of the legs by the

surcoat is unfortunate, yet as a work of art, and especially

as an example of technique and patience on the part of the

engraver, it is unrivalled. Every separate link of the mail is

faithfully represented. The reinforcement of the chain mail

by secondary defences is here exemplified in its primitive

97 G

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Flo. 113.— Sir John D'Abernoun, 1277.
Stoke D'Aubernoun Church, Guild-
ford, Surrey.

stage, a pair of genouilli6re:
only appearing, which fron
their ornamental appearance
are presumably of cuir-bouilli
or of plate covered with cuir
bouilli. The reason for tin
introduction of this dcfenci
was not alone the protectioi
afforded : the intolerable dra^
of chain mail upon the kne
or elbow when flexed pre
vented freedom of action ii
either joint ; but by the ter
mination of the mail at th
upper part of the genouilli6r
to which it was affixed, an(
the continuation of it below
an advantage was gained whicl
was fully appreciated. Th
coif-de-mailles upon the hea<
descends to the shoulders oi
either side and covers part c
the surcoat, while the hauberl
has sleeves which are pre
longed to cover the hand wit
mail gauntlets, not divide*
for the fingers. The mai
chausses are continued lik
the sleeves of the hauberk, i
order to protect the feet a
well as the legs. Over th
mail appears a loose surcoa
reaching to below the knee
and confined at the waist by

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 99

cord, from below which it opens in front and falls on either
side in many folds, being also divided at the back to
facilitate riding. It does not bear any ornament or design,
but apparently is of rich material, and has a fringed border.
The sword is long and straight, with short quillons drooping
towards the blade ; the grip is slightly swelling, and the
circular pommel is enriched with a design. The method of
suspending the sword is peculiar to the period : it grips the
scabbard in two places, between which a small strap runs as
a guide ; the weapon thus hangs diagonally across the left
front of the figure. The guige bearing the shield is enriched
with roses alternating with the mystical cross (signifying
good fortune and long life) termed the Fylfot, Gammadion,
or Svastika, in which each arm of a Greek cross is continued
at right angles ; it passes over the right shoulder, and
supports a small, flat, heater-shaped shield, upon which the
arms appear {azure^ a chevron, or). The spurs are the usual
short ones of the pryck variety affixed by ornamental straps.
The lance passes under the right arm, and displays a small
fringed pennon charged with the same armorial insignia as
the shield ; it is shortened to permit of its introduction, and
shows no grip for the hand. This is the only example of a
brass in which the lance is introduced.

Another celebrated brass exemplifying in a remarkable
degree the military equipment of the period is that of Sir
Roger de Trumpington, 1289, in Trumpington Church, near
Cambridge (Fig. 114). This well-known monumental effigy
is one of ^y^ brasses which portray knights in the cross-
legged attitude, concerning which so much has been said
and so much written. The popular idea is, that the cross-
legged position denotes a pilgrimage, or else a participation

100

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fig. 114.— Sir Roger de Trump-
ington, 1289. Trumpington
^ Church, Cambridge.

in a Crusade, on the part of the
deceased, but this supposition is
entirely negatived by the exist-
ence of monuments to bona-fide
Crusaders, and to persons known
to have visited the Holy Land,
who are represented with the
lower limbs not crossed. It is
to be noted that this position
is entirely confined to England
witli the exception of one at
Dublin, and the generally accepted
ideas are that these persons so
represented were benefactors to
the Church and died in the odour
of sanctity. But it is perfectly
admissible to suppose that, after
all, this position was entirely an
idea of the artist or the engraver,
preventing as it did the ungainly
stiffness in the d' Aubernoun brass.
There are two examples of carved
stone effigies both cross-armed and
cross-legged — Sir Roger de Ker-
deston, 1337, at Recpham, and Sir
Ohver d'Ingham, 1343, at Ing-
ham, Norfolk ; but neither of
these were Crusaders, while both
were benefactors to their respec-
tive churches.

The armour shown in the
Trumpington brass is similar in

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 101

general outline to the d'Aubernoun example, but is

peculiar in manifesting nothing of an ornamental character.

Two or three additions to the equipment, however, are

shown which are important. The head rests upon the great

heaume, which is of large proportions and conical, adapted

for resting upon and being supported by the shoulders. At

the apex is shown a staple for affixing either the contoise or

the heraldic crest (to be alluded to later), and this feature is

also shown upon the heaume of Sir William de Staunton,

1312, at Staunton, Notts (Fig. 115).

From the lower part of the back of the

heaume a chain depends which fastens to

a narrow cord tied tightly round the

waist; by this arrangement the knight

was enabled to regain this most important

part of his equipment in the event of his

being unhelmed. Later on this chain

was affixed to a staple riveted or welded

to the plastron-de-fer, openings being fig.iis.— HeaumeofSir

, . ., Ill J 4. 4-^ William de Staunton,

made m the hauberk and surcoat to ^^^^
permit of this.

Ailettes.— This period might almost be termed the
"ailette period," but for the fact that this extraordinary
adjunct only prevailed during a portion of the time.
They were small shields or defences fastened at right
angles across the shoulders, designed to lessen the effect
of a sweeping cut from a sword or battle-axe, and were
prototypes of the passe-gardes of the late fifteenth century,
and of the epaulettes of the present day. The fact that
a brass has necessarily a plane surface prevents these
being seen in their proper place ; a perspective represen-

102

ARMS AND ARMOUR

tation would afford a vertical line only upon each shoulder,
and in order to display the surfaces and avoid any fore-
shortening, the artist has turned them at right angles to
their real positions. The usual mode of their adjustment
may be plainly perceived from a representation of the seal
of Henry de Beaumont, Earl of Buchan, 1322 (Fig. IIG),
where the stiff lower portion is bent upwards and dowii-

Fia. 116.— From the seal of Henry
de Beaumont, Earl of Buchan,
1322.

Fic. 117.— Crest of John de War-
cnnc, Earl of Surrey {d. 1344).
(From bis seal, 1329.)

wards to prevent a lateral fall; at the same time it is
shaped to the shoulder, and probably fixed tightly to the
hauberk, or the coif-de-mailles, by rings or rivets. Anotlier
example from a seal is that of John de Warenne, Earl of
Surrey, 1829 (Fig. 117). Here the ailettes are apparently
fastened only by one of the points and the half of one
of the sides, but undoubtedly the whole of it was con-
cave to the helmet ; if so delineated by the artist the
remote point would have been invisible, and not proper

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 103

for heraldic representation as required upon a seal.
Ailettes are rarely shown upon brasses and effigies ; possibly
the Buslingthorpe, Chartham, Gorleston, and Clehongre
examples are the only ones in addition to the Trumping-
ton. Upon seals they occur fairly often, but not with
any frequency until the commencement of the fourteenth
century. An early notice of ailettes occurs in the Roll
of Purchases for the great tournament held at Windsor
in 1278, where they are stated to have been made of
leather covered with a kind of cloth. Silk laces were
supplied to fasten them, and it is remarkable, to say the
least, that the brass of Sir Roger de Trumpington, who
was one of the thirty-eight knights taking part in the
tournament, should furnish one of the earliest and best
examples which has come down to modern times. In
the curious painted window at Tewkesbury representing
Gilbert de Clare, Earl of Gloucester, who perished upon
the field of Bannockburn in 1314, we have the best illus-
tration of ailettes contributed by stained glass. Probably
the windows were made not long after the event, judging
from the armour, which would be designed of contem-
porary pattern. Hewitt engraves a figure of a knight in
Ash-by-Sandwich Church in which the ailettes appear as
square projections behind the shoulders. In illuminated
MSS. of this period the ailettes are very frequently shown,
and are figured with combatants in all positions, so that
the nature of the defence can be very clearly seen. They
are also shown of all shapes and sizes. A lozenge-shaped
ailette is seen on the accompanying figure (No. 118) from
Roy. MS. 14, E. III., in which the same device appears as
upon the shield, thus proving that it is not a square one

,104

ARMS AND ARMOUR

worn awry. At times one ailette only seems to have
been used, and that upon the left side ; it appears as a
reinforcement to the shield in an illuminated MS. of Sir
Launcelot (Add. MS. 10,293), date 131G (Fig. 119).
Sometimes the ailettes are so high and wide that they
almost enclose the great heaume by forming a circle round
it, being fixed behind where they meet, and only allowing a

Fio. 118.— Lozenge-shaped ailetto
(Roy, MS. 14, E. III.), c. 1280.

Fig. 119.— Soldier
with one ailetto
(Iloy. MS. 16, 0.
C), 14th century.

Fia. 120.— Soldier
with circular
ailettes.

small opening in front for vision. The proper position is,
as has been stated, upon the shoulders and at right angles
to them, but when enlarged or of an inconvenient sliape
they were fixed upon the upper part of the arm or behind
the shoulder. For example, in Fig. 120, which is taken
from a MS. in the Bodleian Library, the ailettes are shown
of a circular form, which obviously would be awkward to
fix upon the shoulder, hence we see them upon the upper
part of the arm.

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1825 103

The use of ailettes is somewhat perplexing, and anti-
quarians have held various theories respecting them. That
they were not merely armorial is proved by many showing
no designs upon them whatever ; that they were not for
the purpose of distinguishing leaders in a fray is negatived
by the fact that a knight's cognisance was niuch better
recognised from his shield, surcoat, and crest; also, the
ailettes appear in tournaments where there would be no
necessity for recognition. The only supposition which
appears to be defensible is that they were shields for the
neck and shoulders, but more especially for the latter, as
the great heaume protected the neck. In Germany they
were called "tartschen," or shields. The defence afforded
by a thick piece of leather, quilted material, or steel in
that position will be at once appreciated ; so low did they
reach at times that they covered the junction of the arm
with the body at the back, and this is well exemplified in
the Clehongre effigy, dating from 1320, in which they are
attached to the shoulders by arming points, and are concave
to the body. Occasionally for tournaments and pageant
purposes ailettes appear to have been made most elabo-
rately ; thus we find in the inventory of Piers Gaveston in
1313 a mention of a pair garnished and fretted with pearls.

There is a singular figure of a knight in an attitude of
devotion illustrated in Roy. MS. 2, A. XXII., dating from
about 1290, which has been ably reproduced in Shaw's
"Dresses and Decorations of the Middle Ages" (Fig.
121). Many little details of thirteenth-century armour
are delineated, affording a valuable acquisition to our
knowledge. The mode in which the coif-de-mailles is
fastened up to the side of the head by an armmg point

106

ARMS AND ARMOUR

is well shown ; the same method has been illustrated
in Fig. 122 on p. 107, where two continuous hauberks

Flo. 121.— Knight (Roy. M.S. 2, A. 22), c. 1290.

are seen looped up in the same way. The palms of the
hands are free from rings, in order to afford a better grasp

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 107

of a weapon; this was the usual mode for constructing
the mail gauntlet, and is also shown in Fig. 123. It
also permitted the gauntlet being slipped off the hand
when required. The gauntlets are continuous with the
sleeves of the hauberk. Upon the shoulders are singularly

Fig. 122.— Figures frc m martyrdom of Thomas h. Beckett (Harl. MS. 5102, Fo. 32), c. 1220.

small ailettes, consisting merely of a cross similar in design
to those emblazoned upon the surcoat. The thighs are
defended by chaussons or haut-de-chausses of mail,
apparently with rings only upon the parts exposed. The
chausses are of Bezants armour, formed of small discs,
each with a stud in the centre ; these are sewn or riveted
on to a pliable material, probably leather, which is fastened

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 109

together by a series of points down the back of the leg.
The chausses are prolonged to cover the feet, upon which
are strapped the usual short pryck spur. The heaume is
very much ornamented, and its general contour points to
an earlier date than c, 1290, as does also the absence of
genouillieres. The lance and
its pennon are shown. A
leg protection of leather and
highly ornamented was in
use upon the Continent at

Fig. 124.— Circular ailettes.
(MS. 211, Bod. Lib.)

this period ; its form and
dimensions may be gleaned
from Fig. 125.

In a MS. in the Bodleian ^"^«- ^f -^^^ ?"^""°" ^^'^l!^^^' % ^^^'

Relief in Annunziata Convent.

Library (No. 211) a knight

or man-at-arms is represented carrying a shield and
wearing ailettes of a circular pattern, which are fastened to
his banded mail at the upper part of the arm (Fig. 124).
He wears a hemispherical steel cap and is clothed in a
voluminous surcoat. A similar example, but of later date,
is shown in Roy. IMS. 20, D. 2, British Museum, where a

110

ARMS AND ARMOUR

figure habited in banded mail and a conical pot-helm,
with sword and shield, wears circular
ailettes in precisely the same manner
as the previous example (Fig. 126).

THE BANNER, PENNON, AND
PENNONgEL

The knightly Banner of the period
was either square or oblong; in the
latter case the height was invariably
twice the width (see Fig. 127). It was
the distinctive mark of the Knight
Banneret, and always indicated superi-
ority of command and importance, inas-
Fio. 126. — Knight (Roy. much as it required a retinue of at least

MS. 2, D. 11), 13th century. "^

fifty men-at-arms with their followers
to adequately support the dignity. Thus it was a
position of distinction which could only be enjoyed

Flo. 127. — Banner of Knight
Banneret.

Flo. 128.— Pennon of
llcnri de Perci, Earl
of Northumberland.

Fio. 129.

Pavon, Painted

Cliambcr.

by the rich, and the chronicles of the mediasval period
record instances of knights who, having specially distin-
guished themselves on the field of battle, declined the

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 111

proffered honour of Knight Banneret on the score of in-
sufficient means. If, on the other hand, it were accepted,
it was usual to convert the pennon of the knight into a
banner on the spot by simply cutting off the tail or tails.
The simple knight, or Knight Bachelor as he was termed,
carried a Pennon or Pavon, which was furnished with one
or more tails, as in Fig. 121, where it is represented with
three ; that of Henri de Perci, first Earl of Northumber-
land, with two (see Fig. 128) ; and in the d'Aubernoun
brass, where one is depicted. He became eligible for
knighthood at twenty-one, presuming that he had suffi-
cient private property to support the dignity, but had to
distinguish himself in the field or otherwise before the
honour was conferred. It was not absolutely necessary
to be of gentle birth, as many examples may be cited of
knighthood being conferred upon those who could not
claim such descent. The contingent he led into battle
under his pennon varied in number according to his means.
The Pennon9el or Pensil was a small, narrow streamer
to which the Esquire, or aspirant to knighthood, was
entitled. It was necessary for him to serve an apprentice-
ship in arms, and he generally attended the castle of a
neighbouring baron, or the court of the king. Such was,
briefly, the etiquette respecting the three different flags
of knighthood, quite apart from those of the chief com-
manders and the great standards. There were, of course,
variations introduced. Pennons shown in Figs. 129 and 130
from the Painted Chamber are triangular, and the banner
in Fig. 130 is nearly three times as high as it is wide.
Before quitting this subject it may be mentioned that
knighthood was quite distinct from birth and social position,

112

ARMS AND ARMOUR

and was simply a scheme of military rank, the aspirants hav-
ing absolutely equal opportunities for acquiring the dignity.

The Heaume. — During the first
thirty years of this period, that is until
about 1280, the heaumes continued to
be generally of the flat-topped variety
not reaching to the shoulders, but
having the addition of a movable visor.
One, however, shown in Fig. 131 and
dating from c, 1250, differs consider-
ably, and shows a heaume approaching
the dimensions and shape of a bascinet,
while the visor is adapted for raising
or for removal. An earlier example
without a visor is one seen in a group
from the Painted Chamber in con-
junction with helmets having a nasal
(Fig. 130). In Fig. 132 we have an example of one of
the earliest and plainest of this variety,
in which the ventaille could be removed
at pleasure from the two projecting studs
on the heaume which kept it in place.
Fig. 133 is of the same type, but fur-
nislied with a more elaborate visor, and
with a crown surmounting it. Fig. 184
is from the seal of Richard Plantagenet,
King of the Romans and Earl of Corn-
wall, who died in 1272, and Fig. 135 from
that of Robert de Ferrars, Earl of Derby,
died r. 1279 ; in both we trace the tendency to alter the
shape of the lower rim. The movable ventaille was not

Fio. 130.— Early heaume and
helmets with nasals.
Tainted Chamber.

Flo. 131.— Helmcf,

r. 1250.

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 113

in all cases directly detachable from the heaume, but swung
outwards upon a hinge on one side, similar to a wicket gate ;
as this hinge had a pin running through it which could be
withdrawn, the visor was
wholly removed if not re-
quired.

About 1270 the round-
topped variety came into
fashion, of which examples
are found until the end of
the century and even after
it. The seal of Patrick
Dunbar, 10th Earl of March, affords a good illustration of
the heaume with a circular crown ; it is furnished with a
movable visor. Other examples are shown in groups in

Fig. 133.

Fig. 134.— From the seal of Richard
riantagenet, Earl of Cornwall,
King of the Romans {d. 1272).

Fig. 135. — From the seal of
Robert de Ferrars, Earl of
Derby (d. before 1279).

the Painted Chamber at Westminster, and two very late
specimens are represented in Figs. 116 and 117 on p. 102.

About the year 1280 the conical-topped heaume came
into use, whose general form is delineated in Fig. 137, and

114

ARMS AND ARMOUR

has already been noticed in the Trumpington brass. It was
of great weight, and either hung at the saddle bow, or was

carried by the squire, when not in
use ; it rested upon the shoulders,
and thus reheved the head of the
greater part of its weight. Two
heaumes are here shown (Figs.
138, 139) from Add. MS. 10,294
in the British Museum. One is of
the plain and ordinary pattern, but
the second shows a movable visor
which can either be raised or re-
moved entirely. It also illustrates
a reinforcing plate protecting the
sides of the head. Inside it was
thickly padded, and representa-
tions of this feature may often be discerned upon monu-
mental effigies, where the hcaume is used to support the head

Fio. 136. — Knight, showing mail
over pot-de-fer, 1290.

Fio. 137.

FlO. 138.— Heanme.
(Add. MS. 10,294.)

Fio. 139. — Heaume.
(Add. MS. 10,294.)

of the recumbent knightly figure. To keep it in position
laces were attached to the lower edge at the back ; these
are clearly seen in Fig. 121, p. 106.

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 115

The development of the crest during this period did not
make much headway, but a few
examples from seals and MSS.
will show that there was a certain
amount of progress. Theheaume
of Baron Henri de Perci, c, 1300
(Fig. 140), exhibits a highly
ornamented crest with the dis-
tinctive feature of two streamers
affixed to its base, the contoise
or mantling in its incipient form.
The comb is deeply serrated,
and ornamented with gadroons Fig. 140.— Heaume of Henri de Perci,
springing from the centre. Upon
the seal of Henry de Lacy, Earl of Lincoln, 1301 (Fig. 141),

Fig. 141.— From the seal of
Henry de Lacy, Earl of
Lincoln, 1301.

Fig. 142.— From the seal of
Richard Fitzalan, Earl of
Arundel, 1301.

the conical heaume is shown, not reaching, however, to the
shoulders, with a small, plain comb upon its stimmit, differ-

116

ARMS AND ARMOUR

ing in that respect from the crests of Richard Fitzalan,
Earl of Arundel (Fig. 142), and Humplirey 15ohun, Earl
of Hereford (Fig. 143), which both date from the same
year. A singularly plain heaume, considering the distinc-
tion of the wearer, is that of Edward, Prince of Wales,
1305, as delineated upon his seal (Fig. 144). The crest
of John de Warenne, Earl of Surrey, 1329, shown in Fig.

Fio. 143. — From the seal of
Hampbrey dc Bohnn, Earl
of Hereford, 1301.

Fio. 144.— From the seal
of Edward of Carnarvon,
Prince of Wales, 1305.

117 on p. 102, displays a startling development upon the
preceding examples, and exhibits a high order of decorative
design in crests at this early period.

At Acton in Suffolk is a monumental brass to Sir
Robert de Burcs, dating from the year 1802, which holds the
proud position of being the finest early brass in existence,
and which may also fairly claim to be the finest mihtary
brass extant The details of equipment differ but little
from the d'Aubernoun and Trumpington brasses, but the

Sir Robert deBures, 1302. Acton
Church, Suffolk

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1825 117

guige of the shield, by being partially hidden under the
tippet of the coif-de-mailles, indicates that the coif was
entirely separate from the hauberk, and was not continuous,
as might be imagined from the early brasses. The genouil-
li^res are very elaborate, and probably of cuir-bouilli ; above
them and beneath the skirt of the hauberk are seen the
padded and quilted trews covering the chausses from the
knee upwards. This garment, whose surface was usually
of silk, baudekyn, or other costly material, is shown in the
brass to be richly embroidered with fleur-de-lys and an
ornament resembling in shape the Greek lyre, disposed
alternately in lozenges formed by the reticulations of the
silken cords, and a similar decoration appears upon the
grip of the sword (Plate XI.).

Sir Robert de Septvans, 1306, is another knight whose
brass effigy has the cross-legged position ; it is in Chart-
ham Church, Kent, and affords an excellent illustration of
the military accoutrement at the termination of the reign
of Edward I. (Fig. 146). The singular name of Septvans (or
Seven Fans) is derived from the heraldic cognisance of the
family, and is shown upon the figure as seven fans of the
shape used for winnowing wheat at that period. The coif-de-
mailles is thrown back in this effigy, and rests upon the
shoulders in folds; the ailettes are square or oblong, and
the sleeves of the hauberk are thrown back off the hands
and are shown depending from the wrist. Beneath the
hauberk the quilted undergarment called the haqueton
appears ; the trews are of similar material, and apparently
are continued under the genouiUi^res, probably to avoid
chafing. The latter are of plate, and a stud is shown which
fastens them to a strap behind the knee. The sword-hilt

118 ARMS AND ARMOUR

and scabbard are enriched with a highly effective diaper

design.

Between the years 1306 and 1320 there are no brasses

in existence exhibiting the full military equipment of the

time, the example at Croft, 1310, being only a half-brass and
singularly devoid of detail (Fig. 145). Two
brasses, however, dating from 1320, afford
us an opportunity of seeing the marked
development in defences which had been
adopted in the interval. The Bacon brass
in Gorleston Church, Suffolk, has been
much mutilated, but sufficient is retained

Fio. 145.— Knight in to make it of iutcrcst. The coif-de-mailles,

banded mail, 1310. iii . ji_i. i«ij j

Croft, Lines. haubcrk, surcoat, sword-belt, shield, and

guige show no differences, but in the
plate defences a great advance has been made. The back
of the upper arms from shoulder to elbow, and the front of
the lower arms from the bend of the elbow to the wrist,
are protected by plates of steel, fastened by steel straps
round the limbs ; these are respectively the Demi-Brassarts
and Demi-^^ambraces. Upon the elbows are the Coudi^res,
and upon the knees Genouilli^res of plate, while the shins
are defended by Demi-Jambarts, all being fixed over the
chain mail to fulfil the office of reinforcements. At the
shoulder and elbow bends, roundels of plate appear, and
over the shoulder arc ailettes marked with the Cross of St.
George. The shield is small and heater-sliaped, and is fur-
nished with a narrow guige. In the Fitzralph brass, 1320,
Pebmarsh Church, Essex (Fig. 147), the general arrangement
is similar to the Gorleston brass, but no ailettes are shown,
and the shield is large and concave to the body. Upon

Fig. 146.— Sir Robert de Septvans,
1306. Chartham Church, Kent.

Fia. 147.— Sir de Fitzralph, c. 1320.

Pebmarsh Church, Essex.

120

ARMS AND ARMOUR

the feet are Sollerets consisting of five lames of plate
riveted together and kept in place by two straps passing

Fio. 148.— Figures from "Massacre of the Innocents" (Add. MS. 17,687), c. 1200.

under each foot. The swords of both figures show straight
quillons not drooping to the blade as formerly. Tlic pryck

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 121

spur is still in vogue, and from the roundels the small
projecting spikes should be noticed. The five cross-legged
brasses thus described and illustrated are all that now
j^emain to us, and of these five only one, that of Trumping-

FiG. 149.— Soldier (Sloan MS.
346), c. 1280.

Fig. 150.— Swordsman of the chain
mail reinforced period.

ton, so far as is known, represents a knight who followed
the banner of the Holy Cross to Palestine.

The defensive equipment of the ordinary foot soldier of
this period is well delineated in Fig. 148, which is taken
from Add. MS. 17,687 in the British Museum, a German
illumination dating from c. 1290. The subject is the

122 ARMS AND ARMOUR

Massacre of the Innocents, a favourite theme for illustrations
in those times : the central figure is holding in the air a
child (not shown except the foot) preparatory to dashing it
upon the ground, while the soldier to the right has the decapi-
tated head of a child, also not reproduced, in his left hand.
The coif-de-mailles are in all three examples pecuhar in
being continued as a pectoral ; in two cases they are con-
structed of banded mail, and in the third of studded
jazeraint. Two hauberks are shown, one of banded mail and
the other of jazeraint. The central figure has genouilli^res
of leather which, like those of his companions upon his left,
are apparently continuous round tlie joint: the strips of
pendent leather from them have been sewn over the shins
and calves, while studded strips over chausses of the same
material cover the lower limbs of his comrade. The third
figure has simple chausses of banded mail with no reinforce-
ment: long swords with characteristic pommels are worn,
and the whole group is a most striking example of the lack
of uniformity at the period. Also see Figs. 149 and 150.

Archers. — From the time of the Norman Conquest the
practice of archery assumed an importance which did not fall
to its lot before in England. The Saxons had not paid par-
ticular attention to this arm from a military standpoint,
only using it in sport, and the success of the Normans at Hast-
ings was due in a great measure to the skill and superior num-
bers of their archers. The latter are shown on the tapestry
both in hauberks and without, and one is seen on horseback.
The bow appears to be of the simplest form of construction,
and the arrow decidedly not the cloth-yard shaft of a later
age. It became a custom from a very early date for the
archer to bear a stake sharpened at both ends which the

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 123

front ranks drove firmly into the ground with the second
and uppermost point sloping from them, while the rear
ranks filled up the intermediate spaces with theirs. When
protected thus in front and on both flanks it was found
that the archers of England could defy the charge of
the heaviest cavalry. Already in the twelfth century
the English began to develop that prowess in archery

Fig. 151.— Archer, o. 1250.

Fig. 152.— Archer, 1330. (Roy. MS. 16, C. 6.)

which subsequently made them renowned throughout the
Continent of Europe. At the siege of Messina by Cceur
de Lion we are told by Richard of Devizes that the
Sicilians were obliged to leave their walls unmanned " be-
cause no one could look abroad but he would have an arrow
in his eye before he could shut it," while Richard himself
did not disdain the use of the weapon, but used it person-
ally with deadly efTect when besieging Nottingham Castle,
defended by the adherents of his brother John. Among

124

ARMS AND ARMOUR

the enactments of Henry I. of England it was provided
that if any one practising with arrows or with darts should
by accident slay another it was not to be visited against
him as a crime.

It was during the period now under considera-
tion, 1250 to 1325, that the archer first stepped into
prominent notice, and that the efficacy of his weapon,
the most deadly that the art of man devised until the

introduction of gunpowder,
came to be fully recognised.
During the Norman period
the infantry as a rule were
armed with the bow, but the
other weapons they bore were
considered of equal if not
greater usefulness and im-
portance in battle, owing pro-
bably to the undeveloped
condition of the weapon.
With the advent, however,
of the long-bow proper, and
the invention of the arbalest,
the deadly effect of the arrow
and the quarrel began to be fully recognised and accepted,
and changes consequently occurred in the art of warfare
occasioned by the adoption of these weapons. The bow
was not at first considered to be of exceptional efficiency
in the open field, but to be especially valuable in sieges, and
the defence of mountain passes and strongholds. When this
idea was proved to be erroneous we find from various
Statutes of Arms that a number of the military tenants

Fia. 153.— Archers. (Roy. MS. 20, D. 1 . )

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 125

were ordered to be provided with the long-bow and arrows.
The Statute of Westminster, for instance, especially men-
tions the bow. Their equipment was considerably aug-
mented also with respect to body armour, for in Fig. 109
on p. 94 we see the bowman of c, 1220 defended only
by his chapelle-de-fer, whereas in Figs. 153, 155, taken
from Roy. MS. 20, D 1, dating from the end of the century,
when the conical heaume had been generally adopted, the
archers are depicted
with the same head-
gear and the body
defended by a hau-
berk of banded mail.
Whether arrows
were ever furnished
with the small cross-
pieces as shown is
conjectural; they
are, however, often
shown in MSS. hav-
ing a foreign origin.
In Fig. 154 the archer
is seen clad in a coif-de-mailles and hauberk. The arrow-
head is usually barbed as shown, but whether the three-barbed
arrow of Spain, shown in the Spanish Codex, Add. MS.
11,695, written in 1109, was ever adopted in England is very
doubtful. The fourteenth century showed the fullest de-
velopment of the bow, as we shall find, and during that period
the archer attained the height of his importance, but by his
equipment at this early period we may conclude that he was
taking an important place in the military force of the nation.

Fig. 154. — Archer, &c., from Painted Chamber.

126 ARMS AND ARMOUR

Arbalestiers, — The arbalest or cross-bow was known
apparently as early as the fourth century, and is mentioned
in manuscripts of the tenth ; it appears, however, to have
been chiefly used for sport at that time. It was not
before the close of the twelfth century that it was recog-
nised as a military weapon, or is illustrated in manuscripts.

Fio. 165.— Mounted archer (Roy. MS. 20, D. 1), c. 1290.

In the beginning of the twelfth century there appears
to have been an effort made for its introduction, but at
a council held under Pope Innocent II. in 1139, it was
placed under an interdict as a barbarous weapon and
unfit for Christian warfare, and this condemnation was
subsequently confirmed by Innocent III. In the mean-
time, however, Richard I. of England and Philip Augustus
of France had sanctioned its use during the Crusade

128 ARMS AND ARMOUR

in which they had taken part, Richard being the first to
advocate its use, and Philip acquiescing and subsequently
adopting his example. The cross-bow thus introduced
into England at the end of the twelfth century practically
became obsolete at the termination of the tliirteenth,
when the long-bow almost succeeded in extirpating its
rival. This, however, was by no means the case upon the
Continent, where it was the leading arm until the intro-
duction of the arquebus, and throughout the thirteenth
century cross-bowmen became integral units of every
English army, sometimes being mounted. The King's
Bodyguard, founded by Richard I., was formed partly
of arbalestiers. In the copious records left by Matthew
Paris, who died in 1259, the cross-bowman is continually
mentioned. His particular post was in the forefront of
the battle and upon the wings, where the heavy quarrels
discharged from his weapon were supposed to check the
advance of the enemy's cavalry; and scarcely a battle is
recorded in that part of the thirteenth century where
the arbalestier is not credited with performing most
conspicuous service. In the battle near Damietta in 1237
a hundred Templars and three hundred cross-bowmen are
said to have fallen, and the Emperor Frederick in 1239,
writing to Henry III. of England, mentions the very pro-
minent part played in a campaign by the arbalestiers. In
the contest with I^ouis IX., Henry III. had seven hundred
cross-bowmen in his force, while the French had a vastly
greater number. In King John's time the pay for a cross-
bowman on foot was threepence per day, while if mounted
he was paid sevenpence halfpenny or fiftecnpence, according
as to whether he possessed one or two horses. Not with-

A. F. Calvert

PLATE XII*
Foot Armour of Philip XL, made by Desiderius Colman

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 129

standing the conspicuous successes of these troops they
occupied an invidious position in other countries than our
own; for the knights and men-at-arms, if they perceived
the day being won by the prowess of the cross-bowmen, did
not hesitate to charge through their ranks in order to share
in the glory. This occurred many times upon the Continent,

though happily no record exists
of its happening in England.
Like the bowman of his time
the arbalestier was clad occa-

FiG. 158.— Archer and arba-
lestier, 13th century.

sionally in heavy armour. In
the annexed Fig. 158 of an
archer and a cross-bowman.

Fig. 157. — Arbalestier, c. 1250. „ aii h/tci i ^ c^r^n J

from Add. MS. 15,268 and
dating from the close of the thirteenth century, the armour
of the latter appears to be of the tegulated or the scale variety,
though it is quite possible that it may be intended for
banded mail. Upon his head he wears a leather skull-cap
strengthened apparently by iron bands, under which appears
a hnen or soft leather coif. A representation of a similar

180 ARMS AND ARMOUR

skull-cap of leather (Fig. 159), ornamented with a strengthen-
ing device in iron wliich is prolonged hito a nasal, is shown
upon one of the figures in the Painted Chamber, Westminster.
The pile of the cross-bow bolt is shown to
be quite distinct from the barbed head of the
arrow. In Fig. 109, p. 94, the cross-bowman
is represented as heavily armed in a pot-helm
and hauberk of mail. The supersession of the
cross-bow in England by the long-bow was

Fio. 159 Nasal. o J o

Painted Chamber, duc to natural causcs. It was found that
Westminster. ^ ^y^^ long-bow Underwent improvements it
outclassed the cross-bow in more ways than one. A
powerful and skilful bowman could discharge half-a-
dozen or more arrows during the time necessitated for
winding up the cross-bow for a second shot ; also the dis-
tance covered by the arrow, together with its penetrative
force, were quite equal to that of the quarrel, and is
generally considered to have been superior. In consequence
of this rapidity of fire the English archer invariably beat
down the attack of Continental cross-bowmen, if equal in
numbers, and, very often, when they were in excess. Com-
pactness of troops was a great point in mediaeval warfare,
and the bowmen could stand closer together with their bows
vertical than their brethren of the cross-bow with their
weapons in the horizontal position. There is little doubt
that the cross bow was the ideal weapon for tlie ordinary
soldier of an ordinary race, inasmuch as little intellect was
required to direct the aim and little strength was necessary
if the usual mechanical means were used to bend the bow.
For the efficient use of the long-bow, on the contrary, a
keen judgment was an absolute necessity, and it was only

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 131

a race of considerable physical power that could put forth
the strength and maintain the exertion which the long-
bow demanded. It is undoubtedly a matter for national
self-complacency to reflect upon the fact that while the
British gradually discarded the cross-bow and adopted the
long-bow almost entirely, the Continental nations proceeded
in exactly the opposite direction.

The Hand Cross-bow, — The cross-bow as at first intro-
duced was of a simple construction, and permitted of the
bow being drawn by the hands alone,
without the aid of mechanical means.
Such a bow is that shown in Figs. 109,
157, 160, &c., which when required to
be strung was simply placed upon the
ground, the left foot inserted in the
iron loop at the end of the stock, and
the string drawn up with the right
hand, until it engaged in the notch.
This is termed the hand cross-bow.
The oldest arbalest in the Wallace Col-
lection dates from 1450, and is pro-
bably of German construction. The stock is of wood
inlaid with plaques of polished stag-horn, which are beauti-
fully carved in relief. The bow is of great strength, partly
enveloped in parchment and leather painted, and the original
cord remains.

The Goafs Foot, or Hind's Foot, Cross-bow,— The
apparatus to bend this bow is essentially a double lever
consisting of two pieces articulated together. The smaller
piece is divided into tAvo distinct parts, each of which
terminates in a catch ; one of these engages with the bow-

FiG. 160.— Arbalestier, 1330.
(Roy. MS. 16, G 6.)

132 ARMS AND ARMOUR

string and the other upon points on cither side of the stock.
The longer arm of the lever was drawn back, and the
catch with the bow-string followed it until, being brought
up sufficiently into position, the string was caught by the
notch and remained secure until discharged. An arbalest
is preserved in the Wallace Collection, dating from 1520,
the bow of which is built up of layers of cane, whalebone,
hide, and parchment, ornamented and painted ; this bow
was bent by the goat's-foot lever, a few examples of which
are to be seen in the Museum.

The JVTwel a?id Ratchet Cross-bow, — This apparatus is
affixed to the bow stock behind the trigger by a stout cord
which passes round the stock and holds the mechanism
firmly. It consists of a flat, circular, iron case which
contains in its outer periphery a small toothed wheel which
can be turned by a long handle. Passing through the
circular case and engaging with the small wheel is a straiglit
ratchet with one side cogged : this ratchet has a catch at the
end remote from the case which engages with the bow-string.
By merely turning the handle and so revolving the wheel
the ratchet is wound through the case, thus drawing back
the string to its resting-place. The apparatus is then de-
tached and hung at the belt until wanted again.

In Plate XL., p. 366, taken at the Rotunda, Woolwich,
an arbalestier of c. 1450 may be discerned in the act of
winding his cross-bow by a one-handled moulinet, the head
of the stock, which is very short, resting on his knee and not
on the ground. It takes a weight of 400 lbs. to bend this bow.

Moulinet and PuUcijs Cross-boxv. — A piece of iron bent
into the form of a stirrup is affixed to the stock (adjacent to
the bow in this case), similar to that of the hand cross-bow,

.1. F. Calvert

PLATE XIII*
Philip II., Armour by Wolf of Landshut, 1550

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 133

for the insertion of the left foot, so as to gain the largest
amount of steadiness and purchase. At the butt end of the
stock, against the archer's body, a system of fixed pulleys,
having cords running over another system of free pulleys,
is firmly affixed by the insertion of the butt into a socket.
The free-pulley system has a catch attached to it which
engages w^ith the cord of the bow : by winding up the fixed
system with a small windlass having a handle on either
side, the free system approaches the butt, bringing with, it
the string of the bow, which after a time is duly caught in
the notch provided for it. The tackle is then released and
hung at the belt until wanted. An excellent example of
Moulinet and Pulleys may be seen in the Wallace Collection,
dating from 1490 to 1500 ; it is constructed of steel, and is
in good preservation.

The Cross-bow a Galet. — In this type the bow is bent
by means of a lever fixed to the stock, and was much used
in the sixteenth century for the discharge of stones, spherical
balls of lead, &;c. In order to afford a good purchase for
the lever, the stock between the bow and the string-catch
was very often curved downwards into a segment of a circle
and made of metal.

The Barrelled Cross-how was as a rule bent by hand,
although a short stick was occasionally used. A half-tube
covered the groove through which the quarrel travelled,
thus leaving a passage for the string. It did not carry to
any remarkable distance, but in spite of this was in much
request during the seventeenth century.

The missiles for cross-bows are termed quarrels, or bolts,
and generally terminated in a four-sided pyramidal head or
pile, being occasionally feathered with wood or brass. One

184

ARMS AND ARMOUR

kind was so feathered as to cause the bolt to rotate
upon its axis. The cross-bow did not altogether dis-
appear from the army. We find mention in 1572, in the
time of Queen Elizabeth, of cross-bowmen being part of

a force of six

thousand men

furnished by

the queen to

King Charles

IX. The slinger of this {>eriod

is well delineated in Fig. IGl.

It will be perceived that he

carries no protection whatever

in the shape of armour; his

weapon is the staff shng or

fustibal.

Banded Mail. — Toward the close of
tlie tliirteenth century a new species
of armour made its appearance, which
is generally known by the name of
Banded Mail. It was in extensive
use for about a century or more, and
ap[>ear8 u|)on the knight as well as
upon the ordinary soldier. Chain mail
was apparently superseded by the
banded mail, though not entirely, as
the former appears upon regal effigies
and persons of the aristocratic families,
from which we may infer that the chain
variety was retained by those who could afford it and banded mail was used
by those whose means were limited.

As the structure of banded mail always presents difl'iculty to the
Rtudent, and many conjectures made at various times have as a rule
rendered the question more difficult still without solving it, it is obviously
not out of place in this work to deal comprehensively with llw subject

FlO. 161.— Slinger with staff sling or
faHtibal. 13th century.

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1825 185

and, it is hoped, to definitely decide the question. The premises from
which we may argue are as follows : —

1. From the time of the first Crusade, or approximately about that
time, chain mail proper was the flexible defensive covering for the
English knight, and various kinds of jazeraint armour, in which leather,
metal plates, padded material, &c., were indiscriminately used, for the

ii[(i.

Fig. 162.— Banded mail : knight of the De Sulney
family at Newton Solney, Derbyshire.

ordinary soldier. The chain mail was obviously too dear for the average
purse.

2. During the period mentioned above archery was in an incipient
condition, and bodily defences were adapted to withstand the weapons
in ordinary use, which, if we exclude the javelin, and, under extraordinary
circumstances, the lance, were hand and not missile weapons.

3. The simultaneous adoption of banded mail, not only by the
common soldier, but also by a large proportion of the knightly forces,
points conclusively to the fact that chain mail was no longer considered
an adequate defence; in other words that the adoption of a new arm

136 ARMS AND ARMOUR

had rendered it inefficient, and that another description of armour was
imperatively demanded to withstand its effects.

4. The use of leather as a means for bodily defence had been known
from the most ancient times, and in England had been freely used by
the Saxons, as we have seen. From the Conquest onwards it had steadily
advanced in favour, and culminated in importance in the first half of the
fourteenth century during the Studded and Splinted Armour Period,
not finally di^ippearing until the adoption of total plate defences
rendered its use obsolete. Its second rise into favour during the seven-
teenth century is obviously not connected with this question, except to
emphasise the fact that leather has always been considered an effica-
cious defence against sword-cuts, and also against missiles which are not
gifted with too great powers of penetration.

5. The fact that banded mail, whether seen upon the inside or the
outside, presents exactly the same appearance (see the Creke, NorthwtKle,
and d'Aubemoun brasses) and is delineated in such manner in illumi-
nated manuscripts, and carved the same in monumental effigies, precludes
the supposition that rings of metal were sewn down or otherwise affixed
to a garment of leather, as had been the fashion with Saxons and
Normans. Unless, however, we suppose a total abandonment of leather
as a defence which had been growing in favour previously and which
culminated afterwards, we must conclude that leather in some form was
used in the construction of the mail.

6. The abandonment generally of chain mail and the adoption of
banded mail occurred synchronously with the extraordinary development
of the long-bow in the latter part of the thirteenth century.

7. Banded mail was of so flexible a character that, folds are depicted
in garments constructed of this material ; it was used for hauberks,
camails, chausses, sleeves, and, in short, for every purjtose in which its
predecessor had been used.

8. It is represented in MSS. with a metallic surface. The colour is
always silver, white or grey of various shades, and gold. \^"e have
therefore to devise a protection which shall be of greater service
than chain against arrows ; which shall be comparatively chea]) ; in
which leather plays a more or less conspicuous part ; which shall present
the same appearance when viewed upon both sides ; shall be flexible ;
and finally shall have a metallic surface or general appearance.

The accompanying diagram (Plate XIV.) is taken from a photograph of
a piece of banded mail constructed according to our idea of the structure of
the medieeval defence. The rings are iron washers, 1 in. in diameter
and i*y in. thick. Through the centre of the washers a piece of leather

X a

^ 5

PL, 5

CHAIN MAIL REINFORCED, 1250-1325 137

exactly as wide as the apertures passes from end to end. The
washers are arranged like rouleaux of coin, each one just covering the
aperture through the centre of the one below. Between each row of
washers a thick piece of leather is placed, the raw edges being visible
on either side of the mail where they have been rounded off with tiie
knife. The section of this leather band would be similar to that of a
dumb-bell, the centres on each side of the leather being hollowed so
as to permit the edges of the rouleaux to approach each other and
almost touch, the thin centre only preventing them. To the middle of
this leather band the individual rings of the mail are sewn of both the
upper and lower rows. The best portion of this example is that immedi-
ately to the right of the white band. The appearance of both sides of this
example of mail is precisely similar ; it is very flexible, and easily bends in
any required direction. The weight, however, would probably be prohibi-
tory, even to a mediaeval knight, and in order to lighten it we may suggest
that every alternate washer be made of leather, or even that two washers
of leather alternate with one of metal. Against this it may be argued
that banded mail is represented with a metallic tint, but so also is chain
mail, which must have presented ordinarily a rusty-hued mass with
simply an outer surface of polished iron. The liability to rust of chain
mail must have been excessive, and the two outer and accessible surfaces
were undoubtedly the only portions usually polished. So well known
is this fact that in the pageants now prevalent brown string is knitted
to represent chain armour, the outer surface being subsequently covered
with a metallic medium. As a consequence the limners of banded mail
would represent it with a metallic surface even though it presented as
brown or rusty an aspect as chain mail. The washers used in the
modern example would in the mediaeval period be flattened rings of
metal, and the excessively coarse and large banded mail would be oval
rings and not circular. The bands are at times represented by single
lines, and the suggestion is obvious that the lines simply represent the
junction of the rouleaux which have not the extra defence of the bands
of leather, or else the band is so narrow that one line is sufficient for
its representation.

We will now deal with its efficiency for defence against arrows, which
appears to have been the chief reason for its being called into existence.
These missiles would strike either upon the rouleaux or upon the bands,
and would impinge either at a right angle to the plane of the surface,
or at any angle less than a right angle. An arrow striking the rouleaux
at right angles would endeavour to pass through (1) the thickness of
a metal or leather disc; (2) the leather running through the discs;

188 ARMS AND ARMOUR

(3) the thickness of a metal or leather disc at tlie rear. If it struck a
metal disc, however, there would be a deflective tendency either to right
or left, according to the slant of the disc.

An arrow strikin<T at an acute angle u|)on the rouleaux would glance
off if the discs slanted in its direction ; if the discs sloped from it the
arrow might insert itself between two of them, penetrate the band of
leather running through the centres, and then endeavour to pass be-
tween two discs at the back. So tightly, however, would these discs be
pressed together, by the leverage of the arrow-head itself in enlarging
the opening between them in the front, that it is questionable if the
inertia remaining in the arrow would enable it to overcome such resis-
tance, remembering that the discs are firmly fixed both at the top
and bottom to the leather bands. If an arrow struck upon one of
the kmds it would have to penetrate at least half-an-incli of leather and
force apart the rouleaux firmly sewn, or aflixed in other ways, to the
band on either side.

The specimen of banded mail constructed in accordance with the
foregoing method possesses in actual practice the resisting power claimed
for it ; the apjmrent weak point is the penetrability between the discs.
If, however, the rings are firmly sewn to the lateral bands the resistance
to an arrow is almost if not quite equal to that of any other part of the
mail ; the arrow becomes firmly fixed in the discs without penetrating
to the body. It is an unsettled question as to whether or not complete
armour of leather discs was ever introduced into England : certain it
is that the armour of William Longuesp^e, first Earl of Salisbury, in
Salisbury Cathedral was originally painted brown, but that might signify,
as we have said before, rusty chain mail and not leather ; w hereas u|H>n
the few sculptured efligies in banded mail preserved to us the colouring
has altogether disappeared.

CHAPTER VIII

THE CYCLAS PERIOD, 1325-1335

Probably at no time in the history of defensive armour
has it presented a more picturesque appearance than during
the brief ten years of the Cyclas Period. Fitting closely
to the figure, the various garments followed the outlines
of the human form, and in no parts showed any marked
peculiarities or eccentricities. The evolution of the style
was undoubtedly derived from the experience gained during
the Chain Mail Period, when that defence was proved to
be ineffectual against the terrible effects of lance and
sword. Both of these weapons, even if they did not actu-
ally pierce the mail, either bruised the body, or broke
bones, and thereby incapacitated the wearer; while the
protection afforded by the loosely hanging folds of the
surcoat of previous periods, especially against sword-cuts,
has been duly noted. Hence during the Cyclas Period
we meet with the introduction of multitudinous cover-
ings, whereby the lance, the sword, and the arrow were
opposed by plate and mail, and by various padded garments
of a textile nature. The superposition and nature of the
defensive equipment will now be described.

1. TJie Haqueton. — This consisted of a stuffed and padded
garment covering the whole body from the neck to the
knees, and the upper part of the arms ; it rested imme-
diately upon the under-shirt of wool. The padded char-

139

140

ARMS AND ARMOUR

acter of the garment may be seen fix)m the Creke and
d'Aubemoun brasses, where the lower edge reaches the
genouillic^res. In the Clehongre effigy the haqueton, though
doubtless worn, is not apparent. The padding, besides
being defensive, served to protect the body
from the pressure of the mail and plate de-
fences.

2. The Haijherk. — During the Cyclas
Period this garment appears to have been
generally made of banded mail, which con-
sisted of rings or discs firmly attached on
two sides to bands or strips of leather,
and overlapping each other right and left
in alternate rows. The protection afforded
by this defence was so good, and the flexi-
bility so great, that banded mail was in very
common use during the greater part of the
fourteenth century for liauberks, camails, and
chausses. The hauberk either terminated in
a point in front at the knees, in similar

Fio. 1G3. — Sir ^ f . , ., _ -

Robert shuriami, fashiou to the camail, or was rounded, or

t^gimi'Jlol!"^ c"^ squarely off, according to the individual

taste of the wearer. The sleeves in nearly

all cases terminate a little below the elbow. It probably

extended well up the neck and reinforced the camaiL

8. The Breastplate, or Plastron-de-fer, — So far as we
are aware no exact description of this defence is extant ; we
only know that it was of steel, that it covered the upper part
of the front of the body, that it was invariably of a globular
shape, and that it was securely attached to the hauberk, but
whether it had a companion backplate so as to form an

THE CYCLAS PERIOD, 1325-1335

entire cuirass is entirely conjectural.
Staples were affixed to it for chains,
which at that period were so often
attached to the hilts of the swords
and daggers, and sometimes also to
the great heaume, the chain seen in
the Northwode brass being for the
latter purpose. The globular form
it imparted to the cyclas is well seen
in monumental effigies, but not so
readily discernible in brasses.

4. The Gambeson was a body-
covering stuffisd with wool, padded
as a rule in vertical parallel lines of
needlework, and worn over the plas-
tron-de-fer and hauberk. In the
monumental effigy of Sir Robert
Shurland (who in the year 1300 was
made a Knight Banneret), engraved
in Stothard, we have probably a
unique representation of a knight hab-
ited only in the gambeson, which in
this particular case is furnished with
sleeves covering those of the hauberk,
although as a rule it was sleeveless.
It fitted closely round the neck,
and reached to within a few inches
of the knee. In Fig. 163 this
garment alone is shown, all other
details of the effigy being omitted.

5. The Cyclas, — This extraordi-
nary garment diffisred from its pre-

141

Fig. 164.— Sir John de Creke,
1325. Westley Waterless
Church, Cambs.

142

ARMS AND ARMOUR

decessor, the flowing surcoat, in being laced up at the sides,
reaching to the knees behind and being cut short in front,
so as to expose the lower portions of the gambeson, hau-
berk, and haqueton. It was of a thin material easily
falling into folds, silk being the ideal substance, and was
usually girded round the waist by a narrow cincture.
A great diversity of bascinets were in use at this period,

but all of them fitted
more or less closely
to the head, the chief
modifications being
in the extensions at
the side of the face
and at the back of the
head. In the typical
brass of Sir John de
Creke (Fig. 164) the
bascinet is fluted,
while an ornamental
apex furnishes the attachment for a crest or the flowing
contoise. To this headpiece is affixed the camail (or cap-
mail), a means of protection for the neck which was first
introduced at this period and remained in fashion for
nearly one hundred years, when it was superseded by the
gorget of plate in the time of King Henry V. The upper
portion of this camail was securely fixed to the bascinet by
means of staples or vervellcs (Fig. 165), a cord or lace being
threaded through which may be perceived in the Creke brass.
A narrow strip of mail with a very ornamental border is
carried round below the rim. In all cases the camail covers
a part of the cyclas. The upper portions of the arm are

FlO. 166. — Vervelles, nhowing method of affixing
camail to the bajscinct.

Fig. 166.— Small figure from
tomb of Aymer de Val-
ence, 1323.

THE CYCLAS PERIOD, 1325-1335 148

defended by demi-brassarts with coudieres, while roundels
fashioned to represent the heads of lions protect the joints
of the limbs. The forearms are en-
tirely cased in vambraces of plate.
The chausses are of banded ring mail
protected in front by jambarts and
genouillieres, while the soUerets are
of mixed mail and plate. Upon the
effigy of Aymer de Valence, however,
who died in 1323 and is buried in
Westminster Abbey, only roundels
are shown protecting the upper parts
of the arm, and incipient coudieres ;
upon one of the small figures sur-
rounding the effigy a gorget of plate
of a very crude form appears to be indicated, superposed
upon the camail and lying also upon the cyclas (see

Fig. 166). Upon the
Creke brass there are no
indications that a visor
could be affixed if re-
quired, but in the Add.
MS. 12,228 in the British
Museum a bascinet is
shown of an ornamental
character which is pro-
vided with a small defence
of this nature which could probably be removed entirely if
required. The neck-guard is seen to be well developed and
to be provided with a projecting rim. Two small feathers
surmount the helmet, and were worn in place of the flowing

Fig. 167. — Bascinet Fig. 168. — Bascinet
and visor, c. 1820. and visor. (Add.
(Add. MS. 12,228.) MS. 10,294.)

144 ARMS AND ARMOUR

contoise (see Fig. 167). The man-at-arms of the period
was provided with a bascinet which was more of the char-
acter of a simple pot-de-fer; in Fig. No. 168 an example
is shown to which a visor is attached and capable of being
thrown up when not in use. The sword is suspended in
front of the knight by a device which is very simple when
compared with that which formerly obtained ; a belt passes
round the figure and the two ends are
affixed by swivels to the scabbard. Tlie
weapon has apparently a 3G-inch blade,
the quillons are straight, swelling slightly
at the ends and drooping in the centre ;
the grip is swelling and wire bound and

fi has a wheel pommel. In Roy. MS. 16,
1 G. C, many swords of this period are shown,
Jjl and are all characterised by their plainness
^ and simplicity of form (Fig. 109). The
S brass of Sir John d'Aubernoun who died
Fio. 169.— Swords and in 1327 and lies in Stoke d'Aubernoun
Church, Surrey, shows a figure similar in
most respects to the Creke brass. The roundels at the elbows
are fixed by arming-points, the helmet is less elaborately
decorated, the method of fastening the sword is old-fashioned,
and he wears pryck spurs and not roundels as shown in
the Creke brass. A very noteworthy and curious brass
of this period is that at Minster m the Isle of Sheppey, in
memory of Sir John de Northwode, who died c, 1380. The
bascinet is of a peculiar swelling form so suggestive of the
globular head-pieces fashionable on the Continent at that
period, and the camail is finished over the chest m engrailed
escallops. A chain is joined to an ornamental staple attached

THE CYCLAS PERIOD, 1325-1335 145

to the breastplate, and passes over the left shoulder to its

attachment with the tilting helm. Only escalloped coudi^res

and roundels protect the upper arms

and scale-like plates of steel the lower;

these vambraces may possibly be of

cuir-bouilli, so prevalent at the period.

The grip of the sword swells consider-
ably and the quillons are short. Only

the upper part of this brass is shown

in Fig. 170, but it has been restored

and now shows the complete figure.

The shield at this period was of the

heater shape and small; it was con-
cave, so as to enclose the figure, and

a narrow guige passing round the

neck secured it. The effigies of

Prince John of Eltham, d. 1334, in

Westminster Abbey; that of Sir

John d'lfield at Ifield in Sussex ;

and also that of Humphrey de Bohun,
Earl of Hereford and Constable of Eng-
land, d. 1321, in Hereford Cathedral, and
the Pembridge knight at Clehongre
Church, Herefordshire, may be studied
with advantage as exhibiting varieties in
detail of this style of armour. A knight
of the Cyclas Period is figured in Cotman
having the same peculiar swelling helmet,
and also the addition apparently of a

plate gorget in place of the camail; this may, however,

be simply a leather covering for the throat (Fig. 171).

Fig. 170.— Sir John de North-
wode, c. 1330. Minster,
Isle of Sheppey.

Fig. 171.— Knight of
the Cyclas Period.

CHAPTER IX

THE STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR PERIOD,

1335-1360

The Studded and Splinted Armour Period was essentially
an era of transition, intermediate between a mode of defence
which had proved inadequate by reason of its slieer cumber-
someness and multiplicity of details, and the light and easy
effectiveness of the succeeding style, the Camail and Jupon,
which was ushered in about 1360. During the studded
mail period the prolonged struggle of King Edward III.
for supremacy in France occurred, and the fierce old English
blood found many channels for venting its superfluous
ardour. The defensive and also offensive equipment of
knight and soldier underwent many and sudden changes
as exigencies suggested, and keen was the contest between
the three styles then prevaihng, viz. chain mail, cuir-bouilli,
and plate. From accredited sources of information wc
glean that the partisans of chain mail passed through this
stirring period relying almost entirely if not wholly upon its
efficacy ; the believers in cuir-bouilli clothed themselves in
fanciful garments of that material reinforced by a substratum
of banded or other mail ; while the advocates of plate essayed
various departures of a more or less cumbrous character,
which must have proved abortive by reason of their weight
and crudity, although containing, as many did, the germs of
improvements which, when elaborated, made the annour of

146

A. F. Calvert
PLATE XV*

Tilting Armour, Prince Philip IL, by Wolf of Landshut, 1554

STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR 147

later periods so effective. There were other experimenters
who believed in a judicious mixture of all three kinds of
defence, and as they far outnumbered the remainder the
period has gained the name which heads this chapter.

In an age which saw so many varieties, and when each
man did that which was pleasant in his own eyes, it is
difficult to distinguish essential characteristics by which the
amateur may readily recognise armour of this period, but a
few salient features may be mentioned which were fairly
persistent throughout.

1. The Surcoat or skirted jupon was sleeveless and fitted
the upper part of the body tightly, but below the waist was
made full so as to hang in folds to the knees-; as a rule it
opened up the side, but sometimes was slit only a short
distance up the front and then laced at the neck. It dis-
played the armorial bearings of the wearer above the
sword-belt, then worn round the waist or a little below it,
and in some few cases the skirt was dispensed with and
terminated at the belt. The lower part of the skirt was
either plain or escalloped, the latter feature sometimes
partaking of the nature of gadroons and extending upwards
to the belt. The skirt also at times was of a different
colour to the upper part, a feature which is well shown in
one of the windows at Ely Cathedral, dating from 1335,
where six figures are shown in contemporary armour, and
the skirts of three surcoats are darker in colour than the
upper part, one being ornamented with a band of a still
darker colour. All the skirts shown reach below the
knees and have no sleeves.

2. The Hauberk beneath the surcoat was of chain-
mail of various patterns, or banded mail, and reached to

148 ARMS AND ARMOUR

the knees, being about an incli longer than the ii})pcr
garment. It was furnished with a high collar and with
sleeves reaching to the wrists, plate gauntlets being
almost universal at this period. The hauberk exemplified
all the various kinds of chain mail known in the medijEval
period. The banded mail, already spoken of m the pre-
ceding period, had varieties; instead of the rings being
merely superposed as in Fig. 162, they were at times
interlinked and given a slight twist, so as to lie flat simi-
larly to an ordinary curb chain, each of these continuous
chains being sewn to the usual raised leather band on
either side. In some examples, chains of large and thick
links an inch or more in diameter are shown merely
fastened down to the under leather or material without
any separating bands. But probably the most effectual
defence, though of enormous weight, was the usual system
of putting rings or discs of metal face to face, like rouleaux
of coins, and known as the pure banded mail, which afforded
effectual protection against the deadly arrow of the period,
which could neither penetrate nor force apart the tightly
wedged discs. We read of knights emerging from the
fray bristling with arrows, which were pulled out of their
harness by the squires.

8. The Breastplate was undoubtedly worn at this period,
as the globular conformation of the upper part of the body
and the chains sometimes affixed to that part through
the surcoat prove. It can hardly be imagined that these
chains could be fastened to a hauberk. It is probable that
the breastplate was always worn immediately below the sur-
coat ; and there are indications that the haqueton or gambe-
son was sometimes worn at this period under the hauberk.

STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR 149

4. Chausses of mail were universally worn protecting
nearly the whole length of the legs and covering the feet.

So far as uniformity is concerned, the four articles
enumerated above are all that can be
cited with any degree of accuracy.
The bascinet of the period was of
many and varying shapes, and at times
approached the grotesque. Two are
given here from Roy. MS. 16 G. 6
(Figs. 172, 173), which are adorned
with acanthus - shaped crests : the
camail depending from both is of fig. 172— Bascinet, c. 1330.
banded mail, and the verveUes by (Roy. ms. le. g. 6.)
which it is affixed are shown. It is probable that this
style prevailed more upon the Continent than in England.
The form of helmet shown in the Ely window before

Fig. 173.— Bascinet, c. 1330.
(Roy. MS. 16, G. G.)

Fig. 174. — Bascinet and visor, c. 1330.
(Roy. MS. 16, G. 6.)

mentioned is globular, the lower part covering the
ears and cheeks ; a comb much flattened and of no great
height traverses it from the forehead to the back of
the head. A common form of bascinet is shown in

150

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fig. 174, which covers the head and neck, and is pro-
vided with one of the cumbrous visors of the age. This

revolves upon pivots fastened well
back, and not only protects the
face, but partly fulfils the duty
of a gorget. The occulariuni is
formed by a row of circular aper-
tures in a reinforcing plate. This
massive form of visor is well shown
on the head of Tliomas de Beau-
champ (Fig. 175) on the celebrated
Hastings brass, one of the few
brasses of this period of armour
which have been handed down
to us, and which in consequence is simply invaluable.
Tlie visor is provided with a reinforcing plate and slits for
the occularium, with breathing holes below, while the

FiQ. 175.— Helmet, Thos. Beau-
cliamp, 1347. (Hastings brass.)

Fio. 17C. — Bascinet and gorget,
c. ISSa (British Museum.)

Fio. 177.— Bascinet, Ac, Almeric, Lord
St. Amand, 1347. (Hastings brass.)

great projection at the lower part (when allowed to fall)
not only protects the neck, but also a portion of the
chest A bascinet is preserved in the British Museum

Fig. 179.— Bascinet and
gorget of plate. (Add.
nated gorget. (Add. MS. 12,228.) MS. 12,228.)

STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR 151

which dates from c, 1350, and illustrates the manner in

which the gorget

plate was affixed ^

(Fig. 176). The

bascinet of Al-

meric, Lord St.

Amand (Fig. No.

177) is provided

with a singular

adornment, the

chapelle-de-fer or

steel bonnet : the *'^^- its.— Bascinet with laml-

brim, being mov

able upon pivots at the sides, could be brought down so

as to protect the face.
But such an arrangement
left the chin and throat
open to injury, and to
obviate this a mentonni^re
of massive proportions is
shown, thus anticipating
the protection of the same
nature as required by the
salade a century later.
This illustration of the
chapelle-de-fer is the only
one engraved upon a brass.

Figs. ISOand 181.— Bascinets, Moliadus MS. but aUOtllCr example of it
(Add. 12,228.) . , ^

on a monumental emgy
may be seen in Westminster Abbey upon an equestrian
figure on the tomb of Aymer de Valence, c. 1296. A late

152

ARxMS AND ARMOUR

example of the war hat dating from 1515 and of German
make is No. 135 m the AVallace Collection, while a

Figs. 182-184. — Figures from the monument of La<ly Percy in Beverley Minster, d. 1330.

pictorial representation of it may be seen in Julius, E.
IV., the life of Richaixl Bcauchamp, Earl of Warwick,
written at the close of the fifteenth century. Bascinets

STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR 158

not very unlike those in vogue in the reigns of Henry V.
and Henry VI., and later on in the Tudor period, were in
use, as may be seen from the illustrations taken from

Figs. 185-187.— Figures from the monument of Lady Percy in Beverley Minster, d. 1330.

Add. MS. 12,228, Figs. 178, 179, and the romance of
King Meliadus, Figs. 180, 181.

In the spandrels of the canopy of a monument to Lady
Eleanor Fitzalan, wife of the first Lord Percy of Alnwick,
in Beverley Minster, who died in 1330, are seven military

154

ARMS AND ARMOUR

figures exemplifying this pericxl of armour, and in one or
two cases the helmets are reinforced by a larger plate

which descends to the back of
tlie neck and to each shoulder,
over which it curves outwards
so as to nearly cover the camail.
These pieces are riveted on to
the bascinet proper, whicli is
generally furnished with a huge
visor.

A complete set of the figures
in the canopy are here delineated,
not in the cramped original pos-
tures, but in erect positions.
They all possess points of differ-
ence, and a comparison of the
various defences exemplified by
each will give an excellent idea
of the feeling which cliarac-
terised the armour of tliis diffi-
cult period (Figs. 182-188).

The heaumes of the period
were generally round-topped and
furnished with movable visors,

Lirf^^'*'^"'*"^^^ ^^^^^® ^^^^ crest and its adjuncts

^"^ at times assumed large, if not

formidable, proportions. That
of Sir Geoffrey I.uterell, 1345,
from the famous Luterell Psalter, is shown in Fig. 189,
and that of Sir Hugh Hastings, 1847, in Fig. 190.

The shoulders were generally left unprotected, except

Fio. 188.— Figure from the mouu-
ment of lAcly Percy in Beverley
If luster, d. 1.330.

STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR 155

by the mail of the hauberk, but occasionally roundels are

used similar to those of the Cyclas era. Demi-brassarts

covered the upper arms, shown in many

illustrations of the period as overlapping

lames of plate, occasionally complete and

protecting the front as well as the back

of the limb. Coudieres, if worn, were

invariably of cuir-bouilli, and of a pattern

which is almost stereotyped, and shown

in Fig. 191, the genouillieres being of

similar design.

In Add. MS. 12,228 at the British

INIuseum many combats of the period

are depicted, and almost without excep-
tion coudieres and genouillieres of this

pattern are shown.

Vamhraces were fig. i89. — Heim and
generally dispensed Lutteiif'iMs^'''^''^
with, the hauberk
sleeve being deemed sufficient together
with the large cuff of the gauntlet.
Where used the vambrace or demi-
vambrace may be of plate, as in the
Cyclas Period, or of cuir-bouilli as
on the brass of Sir John de North-
wode on p. 145. They were also of
pourpoint as on the arm here illus-
trated (Fig. 192). As this curious
variety of defensive equipment is now

mentioned for the first time, it may be stated that not only

in this period but in the succeeding, it was most exten-

FiG. 190.— Crested helm,
Sir Hugh Hastings, 1347.

156

ARMS AND ARMOUR

sively used. Pourpoint in its simplest fonn is merely a
padded garment ; studded pourix)int, or studded mail, as
it was occasionally called, consisted of metal
discs or roundels, generally of steel, secured
by rivets to the padded garment, or to leather
or cuir-bouilli. These roundels were made
very similar to the modem stud, but ^vith a
short neck; where large roundels are seen,
as in the vambrace shown, the smaller head
is buried in the pourpoint, or boiled leather,
and the larger back, as we should term it,
is visible. This is generally reversed in the
case of other defences whicli we shall have
to consider, where only the small heads
appear upon the surfiice for ornament, and
the real defensive disc is buried in the pour-

Kio. 191.— Bascinut . . f. . i i i /»

andcoudiferes.Me- pomt It IS probable from
liadusMS. (Add. ty^e illustration that the

12,228.)

pourpointerie shown were
stiff, moulded pieces of cuir-bouilli slipped
on over the underlying hauberk sleeve.

GenouilUcres were invariably of cuir-
bouilli, and where illustrated in MSS. or
shown in stained-glass windows are of a
yellow colour. There was not much
variety in form, and they generally followed
the design of the coudi^re. A simple
and very common form, dating from c.
1830, is shown in Fig. 193, from Roy. MS. IG, G. C.

Cuissarts, — There was seldom any special defence for
the upper leg, but occasionally haut-de-chausses of studded

Fio. 192.

STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR 157

mail are met with, especially as we approach 1350. An
effigy at Tewkesbury exhibits studded cuissarts, and may
be ascribed to c, 1350 (Fig. 194). Whether
this pourpoint supplemented the chausses of
banded mail or was worn in their place is a
moot point.

Grevieres or Jambarts, — These, if of plate,
are rare, but demi-grevidres are common (Fig.
195). Perhaps the defence most in vogue
was of the splinted kind, which consisted of
parallel bands of steel arranged in vertical fig. 193.— Genou-

• .•! 1 illi^re and re-

Imes and embedded m pourpomt with studs mforcement, c.
showing, or affixed to cuir-bouilli. The latter ^1\q ^Vs
was often used for vambraces and cuissarts

(Fig. 196). Perhaps the
best example of splinted
armour and banded mail
combined is that shown
in the brass of Sir Miles
de Stapleton on p. 188,
and many references to
appear in the
chapter on the Camail and Jupon Period.
SoUerets, if worn at all, were invariably of the
pattern shown in the Creke brass, and seldom
covered all the upper part of the foot. Occa-
sionally we find the ubiquitous cuir-bouilli
being used, and a brass as late as 1375 shows
an example ; it is that of Sir William Cheyne
at Drayton Beauchamp, Bucks. (Fig. 197).

The Shield. — Very few representations of
the shield of the period occur, but that in use was of the

Fig. 194.— Effigy. Tewkesbury.

this style of defence will

Fig. 195.— Leg of
man - at - arms.
(Add. MS. 12.228.)

158

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fio. 107.— SolloreU of
cuir-bouilli.SirWil-
liatn Chcyue, 1375.

small heater-shape variety. An early shield occurs at W'Jiit-
worth, Durham (Fig. 198).

This work would be incomplete without a reference to
the famous Hastings brass in
Elsing Church, Norfolk,
dating from 1347, which gives
details of armour of that most
interesting period of English
military history for which we
generally look in vain to other
brasses, to monumental effi-
gies, and to JMSS. A full
description of this invaluable record has been
written by Mr. Albert Hartshorne, F.S.A.,
which appeared in Archceologla, Vol. 60, and
is more comprehensive than any account pre-
viously published. He relates the recovery
of one of the missing figures from the Fitz-
william Museum and its subsequent restora-
tion to the original position
The figure of Sir Hugh
Hastings occupies the centre, surrounded
by a much mutilated canopy, in compart-
ments of which are represented four con-
temporary warriors, &:c. The work is of
foreign origin, possibly Flemish or French.
The bascinet is of the globular form so
well shown in French MSS. of the period ;
it is furnished with a visor which would
come down well over the gorget. The latter is of plate,
and the first shown upon a brass; it is acutely pointed

Fiu. 196.— Demi-
jam bart.&c, of
studded cuir •
boailU.

it occupied.

Fi«. 15)8.— Early shield
at Whitworih, Dur-
ham.

STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR 159

ill front and of massive proportions, and guards the neck
and chin, thus anticipating the protective character of
the mentonnieres a century later. It Hes directly upon
the camail, and was doubtless articulated, fastening at
the back by buckles. The rings of the camail and hauberk
are very small, and show distinct signs of interlocking. The
usual skirted jupon of the period covers the body to the
knees, upon which is emblazoned the
Hastings Arms, a maunche differ-
enced with a label of three points,
which also appears upon the shield.
Roundels of unequal size protect
the arm-pits, that upon the left being
the larger; demi-brassarts cover the
upper arm, and demi-vambraces the
forearm, being arranged as in the
Bacon brass in Gorleston Church,
and the Fitzralph brass in Pebmarsh *^'«- i^^-f g^'-e/iy"^ Hast-

^ mgs brass, 1347.

Church (Fig. 147), whilst a roundel

protects the elbow-joint. The sleeves of the hauberk are
slipped off the hands, as in the case of Sir Robert de Sept-
vans (Fig. 146), and depend from the wrist, thus showing
the quilted haqueton or gambeson under the mail; the
latter is also apparent beneath the lower hems of the
hauberk and jupon, quilted in vertical lines. The cuissarts
are of studded mail, from which depend broad bands of cuir-
bouilli passing round the knees ; upon the latter the genou-
illieres appear as a reinforcement provided with fluted
bosses curiously spiked. The legs from this point down-
wards are missing, but a rubbing in the British Museum,
taken in 1782, shows that the figure wore mail chausses,

160 ARMS AND ARMOUR

and that the feet were provided with rowclled spurs. Sir
Hugh Hastings served in Flanders 1840 to 1343, and also
in Brittany : he took part in the operations at Bergerac and
Auberoche in 1345, and was present at the siege of Aiguillon
in 184G.

In two of the niches of the canopy are the figures
representing King Edward III. and Henry, Earl of
Lancaster. The king holds a drawn sword but has no
scabbard ; laminated epaulieres and reinforced coudic'res
appear on each figure but no roundels ; gorgets are absent
and the shins are protected by demi-grevieres of plate.
Both the king and his cousin have cuissarts of studded
mail. Another figure represents Thomas Beauchamp, Earl
of Warwick ; he carries a pennoned lance in his right hand,
and is chiefly remarkable for the visored bascinet (Fig. 175),
which, with its dependent guards for the neck and its huge
visor protecting the neck and part of the chest as well as
the face, may be compared with the armed figures from
the tomb of I^ady Eleanor Fitzalan at Beverley, 1330.
It is similar to that worn by a companion figure, Ralph,
Lord Stafford, on the same brass, and also by that represent-
ing Lawrence Hastings, which is now missing. The latter
is known to have shown a figure with a gorget of plate similar
to Sir Hugh Hastings, with roundels at the shoulders and
elbows. Another lost figure is that of Hugh le Despencer,
whose stone effigy may be seen at Tewkesbury.

The newly found figure is that of Roger, Lord Grey of
Ruthin ; it shows defences similar to the others, but has
complete brassarts of plate, with demi-grevieres, and tlie
gambeson appears above the mail collar. The figure is bare-
headed and leans upon a pole-axe, which would apparently

STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR 161

be about four feet long: the inclusion of this weapon is
remarkable so far as brasses are concerned.

The last figure represents Almeric, Lord St. Amand,
whose headpiece is extremely peculiar (Fig. 177). The
globular bascinet appears to be protected by a steel bonnet,
or chapelle-de-fer, having a wide projecting rim which
worked upon pivots at either side and could be brought
down when required level with the eyes, while the back
would afford some protection for the neck. A comb or
ridge is also shown, probably hollow, and enclosing a
similar small ridge on the bascinet, upon which it would
run as a guide. This is the only example of a headpiece
of this fashion engraved upon a brass, but on the monu-
mental effigy of Aymer de Valence at Westminster, c, 1296,
one of the equestrian figures is shown similarly habited.
The gorget is different from that of Hastings in being
hollowed out at the sides; it rests directly upon the
camail, which is shown with very large and coarse
markings.

In all the figures the sword is suspended at a single
point and not at two as in the Cyclas and previous periods,
while the cord round the waist is also dispensed with. The
woodcut heading our Preface indicates crudely the armour
prevailing in this period. The subject of the illustration
is unknown, but it probably represents an episode at a
mediasval garden-party, where a section of the guests
indulge in a little "gentle and joyous sport" for the
edification of the others.

In connection with the armour of the Studded and
Splinted Periods the representation of the sovereigns of
England upon the coinage is of considerable interest.

162 ARMS AND ARMOUR

inasmuch as it illustrates in a remarkable degree the
extraordinary conservatism of the moneyers and die-sinkers
of the mediaeval period. The first representation of regal
defensive equipment occurs in the reign of King Edward
III., and in the Studded and Splinted Period. The gold
noble of the second coinage of this monarch represents him
standing in a ship bearing a shield upon his left arm
and a sword in his right. The shield is large and heater-
shaped, and the sword has a short grip, a globular pommel,
and short quillons drooping towards the blade, which is
long, and narrows gradually towards the point. Camail
of very capacious extent covers the body nearly to the
waist and extends down the arms to the elbow ; from below
this the sleeve of a mail hauberk appears, covering a small
portion of the forearm and pendent about a foot. The
forearm is apparently unprotected, but a gauntlet covers
the right hand, which alone is visible. Upon the jupon
appearing below the camail are four studs, indicating
pourpoint defence. In 1346, the half-noble exhibits a
much more contracted camail, a tightly fitting jupon with
short sleeves, and the sleeve of a chain mail hauberk
apparently reaching to the hand. The noble of 1851
shows camail, a short-sleeved jupon revealing a hauberk
reaching to the elbow, from beneath which issues a loose
sleeve to the wrist, of soft folding material, probably part
of the gambeson. The jupon is loose and plain to the
waist, below which appears studded work. The half-noble
is the same, except that tlie chain mail hauberk reaches
to the wrist. In 1360, the noble presents the same
characteristics with regard to the camail and jupon, but
a loose sleeve, fringed at the wrist, is apparently attached

STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR 163

to the jupon. The half-noble of the same date has a rough
indication of a coudi^re, with mail brassarts or hauberk
sleeve, and a gauntlet.

Richard II. nobles have the camail with a tippet of
material reaching nearly to the waist, below which appear

Fig. 200.— Man-at-arms, c. 1350.

Fig. 201.— Knight, e. 1350.

the studs ; the arm is encased in the short sleeve of the
jupon, and a long sleeve of material beneath it ; but on
the half-noble a hauberk sleeve of mail is depicted to the
elbow. Henry IV. is represented in his first coinage habited
almost the same as his predecessor, but in 1412 a gold
noble was issued showing the arm in a brassart, coudi^re.

164 ARMS AND ARMOUR

and vambrace, but with the same unaccountable studs below
the waist. The gold coins of Henry V. continued to be
of the same pattern as those of Henry IV. In Henry VI. *s
first coinage the arm is encased in laminated brassarts,
coudi^re, and a scoop-shaped piece of chain mail emerging
from the coudiere and reaching nearly to the wrist, where
a gauntlet or glove with a flexible cuff is shown. Other-
wise the coin is the same as in Henry IV.'s time. The
rose-noble of Edward IV. exhibits the same characteristics,
as does also the angclet. With this reign the type of the
king standing in a ship ceases, but is revived again in the
time of Henry VI 1 1., whose first coinage comprehended
a regal on which the peculiar scoop-shaped piece of mail
upon the arm is shown, an indefinite kind of cape serves
for the upper part of the person, and the inevitable studs
appear below the belt. On the George noble, issued
between 1526 and 1533, we get, for the first time in more
than a hundred years, an approximation to contemporary
armour in the figure of the Saint, who is clothed in Maxi-
milian plate from head to heel, with large pike-guards
appropriate to the time. On subsequent coins of Edward
VI., James I., and Charles I. the armour is correct.
Summarising the above respecting the persevering studs
we find them represented on coins a century and a
half after they ceased to be worn ; camail is shown sixty
years after it was disused ; plate does not appear until a
hundred years after it came in vogue, and the drooping
sleeve of mail, though used on the Continent, was not seen
in England after the Cyclas Period. Speaking generally,
Richard II. and the monarchs immediately succeeding had
the pleasure of seeing themselves represented upon the

STUDDED AND SPLINTED ARMOUR 165

coinage in the same equipment as the ordinary soldier of
the time, with the sole exception of the crown. Upon the

Fig. 202.— Military equipment, c. 13G0.
(Add. MS. 12,228.)

silver coinage the head only of the monarch is represented
until we come to the reign of Edward VI., when the
Maximilian type is shown, and subsequent coins exhibit
contemporary arm6ur.

CHAPTER X

THE CAM AIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410

With the advent of the camail and jupon we enter upon
a period which presents a certain amount of uniformity,
and is in marked contrast to the tentative styles which
preceded it. Throughout the Surcoat, Cyclas, and Loose-
skirted Jupon Periods, defensive armour was in a state of
transition; warriors sought to render themselves immune
by every conceivable expedient, discarding those which
failed upon trial, and augmenting those which proved efli-
cacious. The cumbrous mentonni^res and gorgets of plate ;
the enormous visors ; the great globular bascinets ; the
multiplicity of garments in the Cyclas Period, and the indis-
criminate use of cuir-bouilli, horn, pourpointerie, chain,
and plate, in that which followed, were all in this period
relegated to the limbo of forgetfulness, and a uniformity
of attire was adopted which was the more striking when
compared with those which immediately preceded it. This
similarity or prevalence in fashion in military dress has
lasted to the present time, for in all the different periods
we shall deal with after this uniformity commenced, we
shall notice that certain features are prominent, and
that only minute deviations call for our attention. As
human knowledge is but the consolidated result of experi-
ence, so we may attribute the Camail and Jupon Period
to the French wars of Edward III. and Philip of Valois,
which for nearly twenty years devastated France, and in

166

A. F. Cali-ert

PLATE XVI *
Helmet of Philip IL, by Wolf of Landshut, 1554

CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410 167

which the two decisive battles of Cressy, 1346, and
Poictiers, 1356, are included. During that long period
the various defences underwent the fiery ordeal of actual
use, and only those which emerged triumphantly from the
struggle were retained.

To the student of armour and arms, this period is of
exceptional interest by reason of the unwonted facility
with which it may be studied, inasmuch as there is hardly
a cathedral, or church of any importance in the kingdom,
which does not possess, in some manner, details of military
equipment relating to it. Brasses and monumental effigies
simply abound, stained glass is by no means uncommon,
while carvings in wood and stone exhibit details which
are at times of great importance. The wealth of technical
matter thus preserved enables the student to reconstruct
the period with a fidelity which is wanting in those earlier.
It must not be supposed that the great and salient features
of the style were at once adopted ; there was a transition
period of nearly twenty years, during which the old
defences were in part retained, and only discarded by
degrees. Before pointing out these exceptions, however,
it may be as well to take the several features of the equip-
ment in order, as has been done in preceding styles.

The Jupon. — The jupon was a sleeveless outer garment
reaching from the neck to midway between the hips and
the knees. It was tight-fitting, as may readily be gleaned
by inspection of brasses and effigies, and no folds or creases
can be observed in it. In construction it consisted of
several thicknesses of material sewn through, thus becoming
almost homogeneous, and upon this firm sub-structure a
layer of silk, velvet, or other rich material was firmly
fastened down, and bore in the great majority of cases the

1G8 ARMS AND ARMOUR

armorial insignia of the wearer. There are exceptional
cases in which the jupon was stuffed and quilted. The arm-
holes became decorated in the later years of this style, but
owing to the covering camail we have no knowledge of
any decorations upon the neck. The skirt was finished
with an enriched border of either escallops, or acanthus
leaves, or dags — dagging being a mode of ornamenting the
hems of civilian garments prevailing in the reigns of
Edward III., Richard II., and the fourth and fifth Henrys;
it consisted in cutting out borders of sleeves, skirts, &c.,
into open work of various devices. This rich and splendid
covering to the real body defences was always laced up at
the sides, occasionally only on one side, under the left arm.

The Brecistplate, — This was worn underneath the jupon
and over the hauberk to which it was affixed, and gave
the swelling, globular appearance to the
knights so characteristic of the period ; its
termination at the waist imparted a contour
of body almost wasp-like at times. We
are unaware of the form of this defence,
and also as to whether or not it possessed
Fio203.-Brcastpiate, ^ companion backplatc, so as to form a

Camail and Jupon ^ ^

Period. (Roy. MS. complete cuirass ; however, the appearance
* ' * of the back of many effigies of this period

leads to the supposition that a similar plate was used to
protect that part of the body. In the MS. Roy. 15, D. 8,
a foreign knight is shown wearing his breastplate upon his
jupon, and it is of the form depicted in Fig. 203 ; it may
perhaps be taken as the general shape of this defence.
Upon a sculptured effigy of the year 1370 in Bamberg
Cathedral, a copy of which is reproduced in BoutelFs
** Monumental Brasses," a heart-shaped breastplate is shown.

CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410 1C9

but there are no British examples of the exposed defence.
In the Bamberg effigy chains are shown depending from
staples in the breastplate for attachment to the sword-hilt
and misericorde, and the brass of Sir Ralph de Knevynton
at Aveley, Essex, 1370, also
has this feature (Fig. 204.)

The Hauberk, — During
the earlier portion of the
Camail and Jupon Period
the hauberk was invariably
constructed of banded mail,
but towards the end of the
century it was superseded
by linked chain mail, al-
though late examples of the
banded may be found, such
as that of Lord Berkeley,
1392, at Wotton - under-
Edge, Gloucestershire, and
Sir Nicholas Hawberk, 1407,
Cobham Church, Kent. The
defence reached to about the
middle of the thigh, and
subsequently to 1380 became sleeveless. The lower edge
appears as a rule about two inches below that of the jupon,
and is, in some cases, made ornamental by pendent rings,
as in the case of Sir Robert Swynborne. Under the hauberk
the quilted gambeson, or haqueton, was worn as usual, but
no portion of it appears in brasses or effigies.

The BasdneL — The bascinet was very tail at the com-
mencement of the period and acutely pointed at the apex ;
it gradually lessened in height as time advanced. It

Fig. 204.-

-Sir Ralph de Knevynton, 1370.
Aveley, Essex.

170

ARMS AND ARMOUR

descended on both sides well
over the ears, and was carried
round to the back of the neck,
as a rule, in a straight line.
The apex was not over the
centre of the head, but more
towards the rear; when the
knight couched his lance and
bent forward in the saddle the
point was thus brought forward
to a perpendicular position. This
detail cannot be j>erceived in
brasses, but is very apparent in
monumental effigies, and is
shown on the o2)posite page
(Fig. 20G), taken from a stained-
glass window in St. Peter's
Church, St. Albans, and approxi-
mately of the date 1380.
The visor is represented in gold-
coloured glass, and this feature
of gold gilding is by no means
uncommon in MSS. of the early
part of this period, from wliich
it is possible to infer that tlie
visors were either of cuir-bouilli,
latten, or were enriched by gild-
ing. At first the visors were
removable at will, being merely
hung on projecting knobs at
tlie sides ; but afterwards, when
"mr l^uo "t;'J7ct"h^. th« snout-foced variety cume into

Euox.

CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1860-1410 171
vogue, they were invariably fixed, and could only be raised
or lowered. An earlier form of bascinet is shown in the
windows of the same church which has a close-fitting visor,
very similar to those which
marked the advent of the
pot-helm in the thirteenth
century (Fig. 207). To-
wards the close of the four-
teenth century the adop-
tion of the " snout-faced,"
or " pig-faced " visor (Fig.
208) became universal,
eKciting much uncomplimentary criticisms from contem-
porary writers and being the subject of many caricatures
in carvings of the period. In the Tower of London
a bascinet weighing 5^ lbs. is
preserved (Fig. 209) ; the visor
or ventaille, which weighs
1 lb., originally hinged up to

Fig. 206.— Bascinet. Fig. 207.— Bascinet. St.
St. Peter's Church, Peter's Church, St.
St. Albans. Albans.

Fig. 208.— Snout-faced bascinet. FiG. 209.— Bascinet. (Tower of London. )

a pivot in the centre of the skulL In the Wallace Col-
lection, Fig. 210 shows a beautiful example which was
formerly in the Meyrick Collection; it is French, and
dates from c, 1400. An early example of this form of
visor bascinet is preserved in the collection at Parham

172

ARMS AND ARMOUR

dating from 13(55, which shows the ventaille partly
covering the neck, and tliis form is common in the

Fia. 210.— Snout-faced bascinet, c. 1400.

(Wallace CoUection.) Fio. 211.-Visorcd bascinet

from Roy. Ma 20, C. 7.

Roy. MS. 20, C, 7, in the British Museum, dating from
1400 to 1415 (Fig. 211). Here, however,
the feature is made of such huge dimen-
sions, reaching doubtless as far as the
collar-bones, that a feeUng is engendered
of disproportion, or of caricature; but as
the examples are very numerous, and all
appear the same, the thought is perforce
dispelled. Huge visors are also depicted
in a History of Richard II. of England
preserved in the Biblioth^que du Roi (a
figure from which is here shown, Fig. 212),
which must have provided a large amount
of breathing space and also acted to some

Pia 212.— Knight, extent as a gorget The bascinet termed
(Richard II. MS., in the Barbutc is essentially Italian, and

BibUothiquodttRol) - ^ -r^ ,. i i

does not occur upon any English brass
or effigy ; it appears to have been prevalent on the Con-
tinent, and some of the head-pieces shown upon the common

CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 13G0-1410 173

soldiery in English MSS. partake of the character of this

defence. It was worn without any visor, but a portion of

the camail, adapted for the

purpose, was lifted in order

to cover almost entirely the

small opening left in front,

being fastened to the staples

with which these helmets

are almost always provided.

The Barbute in the Wallace

Collection (Fig. 214) shows

this feature very distinctly,

as it is provided with two

staples for the purpose, while

the nasal thus formed by

the camail is well shown in

the effigy of Ulrich Land-

schaden, 1369, in Neckarsteinach (Fig. 215), which, however,

is defended by the
ordinary bascinet,
though strange to
note, the figure is
entirely without any
visible plate armour
for the limbs. A
bascinet with an iron
nasal of rigid form
is shown in the MS.
Roy. 14, E. 4, and

depicted in Fig. 216. It will be seen by the various

figures illustrating the Camail and Jupon Period that the

Fig. 213.— Snout-faced helmet, c. 1400.

Fig. 214.— Barbute, c. 1400. (Wallace Collection.)

174 ARMS AND ARMOUR

lieight of the bascinet became less towards the end of the
time when it prevailed, and showed a distinct tendency to

FlO. 216.— Nasal
B07. MS. li, E.

Fia. 215.— Effigy at Neckareteinach,
1309, showing nasal.

merge into the globular form of the succeeding period.

The biiscinct of Sir William Burgate, 1409, in Burgate
Church, Suffolk (Fig. 217), is remarkable for
its high comb or apex, and is probably of
foreign origin.

Tlic CamaiL — The term camail is said to
be a derivative of " cap-mail," though one
authority deduces it from "curtain-mail.*'

Fio. 217.— Bascinet. As wc havc sccu in the preceding chapters,
Sir William Bur- ^|^jjj protcctiou for the ucck had been used

gate, 1409. *^ ,

for centuries, but at no time did it attain
the dimensions and efficiency which distinguished it dur-
ing the period under discussion. It is probable that a
gorget of plate of .some description was worn underneath
it, to which we shall refer when si)eaking of the epauli^rcs.
The well-known representation from Nero, D. 7, in the

§ CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410 175

Fig. 218.— Sir John de Ar- Fig. 219.— Sir John Wing- Fig. 220.— Sir George Fel-
gentine, 1360. Horsheath field, c. 1400. Lethering- brigge, 1400. Playford
Church, Cambridge. ham Church, Suffolk. Church, Suffolk.

176 ARMS AND ARMOUR

British Museum, representing the Black Prince receiving a
grant of Aquitaine from his father, shows the prince with
his helmet and its depending camail doffed, but no gorget,
however, is disclosed. At first the lower portion of the
camail fell almost perpendicularly to the shoulders, and
covered but a small portion of them, as may be seen in the
brasses of Sir John de Argentine, 1360, Horsheath Church,
Cambridge (Fig. 218) ; Sir John de Paletoot, 1361, Watton
Church, Herts (Fig. 224) ; and Sir John de Cobham, 1375,
Cobham, Kent ; but as the period progressed, the mail ex-
panded so as to cover not only the shoulders, but the upper
part of the arm. At first banded mail was universally em-
ployed, and examples may be found of its use even as late as
1405, on the brass of Sir Thomas Massyngberde, but by the
year 1 380, chain mail of varying patterns had become popular.
The links were arranged either in horizontal lines or verti-
cally, and examples may be found where they vary in size
from that of a coarse dog chain down to extremely fine
links. For examples, see brasses of Sir John Wingfield,
1400, Letheringham Church, Suffolk (Fig. 219); Sir John
Hanley ; Sir John Bettesthorne, Mere Church, Wiltshire ;
Sir George Fclbrigge (Fig. 220) ; the painting of the Black
Prince in St. Stephen's Chapel, Westminster, kc.

The method of attaching the camail to the bascinet was
by a lace running through staples termed vervelles, which
were visible until about the year 1887, when the f^ishion
was introduced of covering them with a more or less enriched
border. To the student this forms a valuable clue to the
date when inspecting a brass or monument, but must of
course be used in conjunction with other characteristics.
The brass of Sir WiUiam de Ecliingham, 1387, is one of

CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 13G0-1410 177
the latest showing
this feature (see Fig.
221). Towards the
latter part of the
period mixed mail
and plate made their
appearance (see Fig,
222, knight of the
d'Eresby family).

Plate Defences, —
One of the features
of this period was
the enclosure of the
limbs in plate de-
fences which con-
formed generally to
the natural curves,
and present a striking
contrast to the distor-
tions which appeared
during the greater
part of the fifteenth
century. Upon the
shoulders laminated
epaulieres occur, the
upper plates of which
are habitually hidden
by the camail and
jupon, but were pro-
bably affixed to or
depended from the
gorget of plate before

fitigmav^tmiSta^qfiBlt^^

Fig. 221.— Sir William de Echingham, 1387.
Etchingham Church, Sussex.

178

ARMS AND ARMOUR

mentioned. Brassarts of
plate enclosed the upper
arms, while coudi^res of a
close - fitting pattern pro-
tected the bend of the arm.
There was no distinct fashion
during this period for the
outer projecting plate of the
coudi^re ; at first a roundel
appeared as in the case of Sir
John de Argentine ( Fig. 218),
and Sir John de Paletoot
(Fig. 224), but the general
form was that exhibited in the
brasses of Sir John Wing-
field (Fig. 219) and Sir George
Felbrigge (Fig. 220). Cylin-
drical vambraces of one plate
guarded the forearms to the
wrist, where they were cov-
ered partly by tlie cuffs of
the gauntlets. The latter
during this period attained
to a higher degree of per-
fection than had previously
been the case, and great
attention was paid to detail
and careful fitting. The
fingers and thumbs were
distinct and articulated; a
plate covered the back of
the hand and another was

Fio. 222.
14

—Knight of the D'Ere«by family,
10. Spilaby Church, Line*.

CAM AIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410 179

formed into a cuff. The introduction of gadlings, or
spikes of steel upon the knuckles and joints, occurred at
this time, not solely for ornament but for actual weapons
of offence when other means had failed. In a trial by
combat fought before Edward III., one of the com-
batants gained the advantage by striking the gadlings of
his gauntlet into the face of his adversary. At times
they are shown of great size, projecting a considerable
distance from the knuckles. Towards the close of the
fourteenth century the terminal parts of the finger-guards
are shown with imitation finger-nails,
and many of the gauntlets seen upon
the effigies are richly decorated. A
most interesting specimen, unique in
England and of great rarity, is Fig. 223,
in the Wallace Collection, dating from
the latter half of the fourteenth century „ „„ ^ .,. w

^ Fig. 223.— Gauntlet, late

and of French make. The plates for fourteenth century.

,, ,, • • .1 • (Wallace Collection.)

the lingers are missmg; the covermg
for the back of the hand and the cuff is formed of one piece,
with the exception of a small plate, which, however, is not
movable. The decorations are bands of latten. The
gauntlets of the Black Prince hanging over the tomb in
Canterbury Cathedral are often referred to; they are of
the same period as those in the Wallace Collection, but
made of latten, gilded, and cannot vie with them in work-
manship. The gadlings are well seen upon the various
brasses of this period, those of Sir George Felbrigge being
perhaps one of the most prominent (Fig. 220).

The mail defences for the lower limbs have the same
characteristic of following the outline closely, and of being
what may be termed skin-tight. The thighs were enclosed

180 ARMS AND ARMOUR

in cuissarts of steel, back and front plates hinging upon
the outside of the legs and buckled between the thighs,
thus differing from the Splinted Armour Period, when front
plates only were invariably used. The knees were guarded
by genouilli^res of plate, which at first were of simple
constmction, and consisted of a single plate (vide Sir John
de Argentine, Fig. 218), but eventually these were rein-
forced by lames of steel above and below. Steel grevi^res
protected the shins and calves, and a small plate depending
from the genouilli^re, or from one of its lower reinforce-
ments, gave an additional protection to the front plate.
The sollerets were invariably of plate jointed, like the
epauli^res, after the manner of a lobster s tail ; they were
long and pointed, and gave rise to the fashion which
prevailed until sabbatons were introduced, of pointing
the toe downwards through the stirrup when riding. At
the back of the knee-joints, and also at the joints of the
shoulders, elbows, and ankles, small pieces of mail were
introduced called goussets or gussets, being fixed gener-
ally upon the garment worn underneatli the plate, but at
times to the inside parts of the plate itself. They served
as reinforcements to the hauberk.

One of the peculiarities of the Camail and Jupon
Period is the magnificent hip-belt, of far more elaborate
workmanship and finish than in any preceding or following
age. It generally consisted of raised square or oblong
brooches, veritable triumphs of the goldsmith's art, and
occasionally studded with jewels, linked to each other to
form a continuous band, and fastened in front by an
enriched morse or clasp. At times roundels were used,
and occasionally a running pattern in gold or embroidery.

CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410 181

In the early figures it is shown with a buckle and a loop,
a piece of pendent belt passing through and fastened like
the Order of the Garter. A brass exempli-
fying very plainly the loop and buckle lies
in St. Michael's Church, St. Albans, and
dates from c, 1370 (Fig. 223a). (It is re-
markable for showing two tabs of leather or
plate upon each shoulder,
issuing from beneath the
camail; we may have here a
replica of the French fashion
of epauli^re at the period,
which generally was encir-
cled by tabs of cuir-bouilli.)
See also Fig. 218, Argentine,
and Paletoot, Fig. 224.
This seldom occurs upon
late examples. The general
method of wearing it was
horizontally round the hips,
but a few exceptions will be found
upon searching the engraved figures.
This fashion was copied by the ladies
of the period, who wore hip -belts,
showing beneath the super cote-hardi, of
equal richness to their lords.

The Sword was attached to the belt

Fig. 224.— Sir John de . . . p . i i,u ^

Paletoot, 1361. Wat- at the uppcrmost part of the scabbard,

ton Church, Herts. ^^^ Ymng perpendicularly at the left side.

It generally had a wheel pommel and a swelling grip, with

quillons either straight or drooping slightly towards the

Fig. 223a.— Brass
in St. Michael's
Church, St. Al-
bans.

182 ARMS AND ARMOUR

blade. The latter was about an inch and a half broad
at the hilt, thirty inches in length, and tapered to the
point, while the section was either of a flattened or a
lozenge shape. It was double-edged, and had a grip of
varying dimensions, ranging from four inches in length to
an extent which, in some examples, almost suggest a two-
handed weapon, or the hand-and-a-half or bastard sword
of a later period (compare the d'Eresby and Felbrigge
brasses). The pommel, grip, and scabbard were at times
elaborately enriched with a profusion of ornament. A new
weapon was introduced at this period, the misericorde or
dagger of mercy, used for despatching a fallen foe whose
wounds were beyond all surgical aid, in the combat ti
outraiice, or in the field ; or as a last resource for defence
when other weapons had failed. It was a straight dagger
with no guard as a rule, and having both the hilt and
scabbard curiously ornamented ; the blade had but one
edge, the section being triangular. From its occurrence

upon many monumental effigies, we
gather that as a rule the miseri-
corde was attached to the belt by
a chain, but this feature is not as
a rule shown upon brasses. The
curious brass to Sir Ralph de
Fio. 225.— Mberioordo, John Kucvynton, howcvcr, exemplifies

it, though the chains for attach-
ment of both sword and misericorde are affixed to the
breastplate (see Fig. 204). The misericorde of John
Cray, 1380 (Fig. 225), shows it depending at an angle
from the belt, while towards the close of the reign of

CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410 183

King Richard II. the knights have the weapon slung
hilt downwards to the front, though this curious fashion
was soon discarded.

The Shield in use at this period is but rarely shown, and
never upon brasses. Upon the tomb of Robert Wyvill,
Bishop of Salisbury, 1375 (Fig. 226), a shield
occurs which has a central boss riveted on
and is concave to the person ; a projection is
shown at the upper part, upon the back of
which the guige is apparently fixed. In the
" Pilgrimage of Human Life " in the French
National Library we have represented the
discarded habiliments of a knight who is fig. 226.-^ieid,
departing upon a pilgrimage : the shield is ^^^^•

small, notched in the right-hand corner for the lance rest,
and presents a concave surface to the front. The snout-
faced visor upon the bascinet shows
it to be of the period now dealt
with. A sculptured effigy in Bam-
berg Cathedral, dating from 1370,
has a shield which is notched in the
corner and also concave to the front ;
while another shield from Hereford
Cathedral affords us an example of
an English pattern dating from 1375, which also is concave
to the front (Fig. 227). It occurs upon the tomb of Sir
Richard Pembridge. For the emblazoning of arms the
heater-shaped shield is invariably used.

JVie Heaume, — During the period under consideration
the great heaume was in use for tilting purposes, the visored

Fig. 227.— Shield, Hereford
Cathedral, 1375.

184

ARMS AND ARMOUR

bascinet being reserved for warftire. The heauine retained
its conical crown in order to fit over the bascinet, but the
lower rim was still too high above the shoulders for the
latter to afford any support to it, and the curve as shown
is not adapted (Fig. 228) ; we must therefore infer that the
whole weight was borne by the bascinet, and that the inside

of the heaume was padded in order
to make it fit securely. In the
lower part of the front a hole or
staple is generally found, by which it
could be fixed securely by a thong
or chain to the cuirass. It is doubt-
ful whether any great heaumes are
in existence which date back to
the thirteenth century, and there
are only a few authentic examples
of the fourteenth. One of them
is the heaume of the Black Prince
in Canterbury Cathedral (1*1 ate
XV^IL), the upper part of which is
covered by the chapeau or cap of
dignity bearing the heraldic lion. No breathing-holes are
shown, and the occularium is extremely narrow. As weight
was apparently of no object at this period, a secondary de-
fence was often introduced in the form of a large plate of iron
covering the whole of the left part of the face, hinged at
the termination of the occularium upon that side, and falling
lower than the rim of the heaume, to which it was further
affixed by bolts and nuts. This piece cle reiifort may be
viewed as the prototype of the " grande garde " of the suc-
ceeding century : an excellent example is preserved in the

Fio. 228.— Heaume of Thomas do
Mowbray, Earl of Nottingham,
and Earl Marshal. (From a
drawing of hia seal, 1389: MS.
Cott., Julius, O. vii.)

PLATE XVII
Heaume, Crest, and Shield of the Black Prince in Canterbury Cathedral

CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410 185

collection of Lord Zouche at Parham. It will be observed
that the lower or cylindrical portion of the Black Prince
heaume consists of two pieces riveted together, and this was
the usual method at the time. In the heaume of Sir Richard
Pembridge, Hereford Cathedral (Figs. 229, 230), however,
the three pieces (cylinder, truncated coiie, and crown) are
welded together, and the rivets are more for ornament than
for increased strength ; the metal is thickened round the

Fig. 229 and 230.— The Pembridge heaume, Hereford Cathedral.

occularium, and the lower edge is roped so as not to present
a cutting edge. There are a number of holes in the upper
portions to permit the aglets of the laces to be passed
through, by which the crest and lambrequins could be
attached to the heaume. In the lower front portion are the
two holes in cruciform shape to allow passage for a T-bolt
appended to the chain for securing to the breastplate.
A very rare example of the great heaume, which may
date from the early part of the fourteenth century, is one
preserved in the Rotunda at Woolwich. The crown is

186

ARMS AND ARMOUR

conical ; tlie visor hinges on the left side, and closes with
a spring on the right, and numerous small holes are pierced
in it for air. The occularium is a narrow slit above the visor
and below the crown. It is much corroded, and probably
when new weighed more than at the present time (9 J lbs.)
(Plate XXXIX., p. 364). During the studded and splinted
style of Enghsh armour, heraldic crests had been intro-
duced as we liave seen,
following upon the fan-
shaped decorations of an
earlier period : in the
latter part of the four-
teenth century all
warriors of distinction
adopted the fashion,
and subsequently all
men of knightly rank.
These crests were in-
variably made of cuir-

Fio. 231.— Panache of Fio. 232. -Panache, Ed- bouilli, wllich material
Wm. de Latimer. 1372. ^anl Courtenay, UOO. allowed itself tO bc

moulded into any desired shape, and had the advantage
of being unaffected by the weather, besides affording
some protection from a sword-cut. Crests of all shapes,
sizes, and degrees of grotesqueness sprang into being,
some tending to enormous proportions and thus fore-
stalling the mantling of extravagant size so character-
istic of the fifteenth century. The contoise or flowing
scarf invariably accompanied tlie crest. A panache of
feathers was a favourite form of crest, by reason pre-
sumably of its lightness and gracefulness; that of Sip

CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410 187

Wm. de Latimer, 1372, and of Edward Courtenay, 1400,

are reproduced as examples (Figs. 231, 232). As a foreign

specimen of the great heaume of the Camail Period we

may refer to the example preserved in the Historical

Court Museum at Vienna, dating from about c. 1360,

and known locally as the "Pranker heaume" (Fig. 233).

It is made of four strong hammered-iron plates with

smaller reinforcements, and

weighs about twelve pounds,

being probably used only

for tournaments. The crest,

two golden horns with silver

combs, is of the usual cuir-

bouilli, and weighs about

three pounds. A late

heaume of this period, dating

from c. 1410, is that of Sir

Edward de Thorpe, which is

^ /v» . . 1 . -I . . , Fig. 233.— Franker heaume.

of sufficient height to rest

upon the shoulders (Fig. 234). A panache surmounts the
elaborate coronet ; the occularium is very high, and could
hardly allow of a bascinet being worn underneath. The
usual ring for affixing it to the breastplate is shown at
the base.

The orle or wreath is of the greatest rarity upon
monumental brasses of the Camail and Jupon Period ;
Sir Reginald de Cobham, 1403, has a small jewelled orle,
however, and one of the same character is shown on the
brass of a knight of the d'Eresby family, 1410 (see Fig. 222).
This piece of ornament originated in the band of cloth,
silk, or velvet placed round the bascinet to support, and

188

ARMS AND ARMOUR

act as pad to, tlie heaume, and subsequently, when the
latter was discarded, remained to be
a foundation for the crest.

The earlier effigies and brasses of
this period are in many of their details
exemplifications of the studded and
splinted style of defence, and are in
fact of greater use in that respect
than the few contemporary brasses
and effigies which remain and are
generally used as examples. The lost
brass of Sir Miles de Stapleton, 1364
(Fig. 235), once in Ingham Church,
Norfolk, is, for instance, an excellent
example, probably the best ; lie has a
studded jupon fitting tightly to the
figure and escalloped at the hem, with
haut-de-chausses or
cuissarts of the same

material. His genouillieres are of single

plates with two rows of reinforcing cuir-

bouilli tabs depending below, while the

jambarts are of metal splints affixed by

rivets to the cuir-bouilli beneath. The

long pendent tab of the belt should

be noticed. The remarkable brass of

Sir Ralph de Knevynton, 1870 (see ^'o- ssu.-sir Miles de

■r.- «^ . V ^ A I -r^ I Stapleton, 13C4. For-

tig, 204), at Aveley, Essex, may also meriy in ingham
be quoted as showing the same features ^^""'^' ^^^"^^
respecting the jupon and cuissarts ; but the shape and
position of the belt, the great length of the misericordc,

Fio. 234.— Heaume, Sir Ed
ward de Thorpe, e. 1410.

CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 13G0-1410 189

its quillons, the crude genouillieres, the long hauberk
pointed in front, the pose and shape of the figure, and
the chains depending from the breastplate,
make this brass, which is of Flemish work-
manship, one of the most singular of its kind.
Sir John de Argentine, 1360 (Fig. 218) and
Sir John de Paletoot, 1361, have cuissarts
of studded material and pendent belts ; Sir
Thomas Cheyne, 1368, also has studded

•^ . Fig. 236— Genouil-

cuissarts, and jambarts of studded splints liere, sir Thomas

similar to those of Sir Miles de Stapleton, cheyne, i368.

but his genouillieres are most remarkable and quite unique.

They appear to be constructed entirely of cuir-bouilli with

pendent tabs of singular form re-
inforcing the jambarts (Fig. 236).
The Cheynes appear to have been
a family addicted to pecuharities,
as Sir William Cheyne, 1375, has
laminated soUerets of remarkable
construction and also quite unique
(see Fig. 197). Sir Humphrey
Littlebury, Holbeach Church, Lin-
colnshire (Fig. 237), has cuissarts
of cuir-bouilli with studs of an
ornamental form; his genouillieres
are crude and of single plates, but

Fig. 237.-sir Humphrey Little- the hem of his jupou is remarkable
bury. Holbeach, Lines. ^^^ graccful bcauty, bciug deeply

dagged into acanthus-leaf form. A rich hip-belt has a
pendent tab at the side, but, strange to note, the sword
is not suspended by it, but has a separate belt passing

^ fll

190 Amis AND ARMOUR

diagonally round the waist. This second belt is not
unfrequently found in sculptured effigies but seldom upon
brasses. The brass of Robert Albyn, c. 1400 (Fig. 238),
Hemel Hempstead, Herts, where two belts are shown,
has the sword suspended from both belts. Sir John de
Cobham, 1375, the founder of Cobham College, has
studded cuissarts and genouilli6res reminis-
cent of those of Sir Thomas Cheyne. The
brass of Sir John de St. Quintin, 1897
(Fig. 239), in Brandsburton Church, York-
shire, is remarkable for the very wide and
elaborate hip-belt, which is fixed higher

Fio. 238. — Robert .1 • i i_ i. j •

Albyn. 1400. Hemel ^han IS usual upon a shortened jupon,
Hempstead Church, necessitating a small subsidiary belt from
which to suspend the sword, and also an
extra length of hauberk, which is curiously bent round the
limbs. The coudi^res are larger than usual, and together
with the genouilli^res are ornamented. After 1880, many
jupons are shown with fur round the arm openings, as in
the brass of Sir Nicholas Dagworth, 1401, where the great
length of the sword-grip, ornamentation of the annour,
great height of the bascinet, and elaborate hem to the
jupon are special features.

The years between 1400 and 1410 must be looked
upon as a transition period, inasmuch as features dis-
tinctive of the Camail and Jupon and of the Surcoatless
overlap each other. For example, the brass of Sir Thomas
Braunstone, Constable of Wisbeach Castle, in Wisbeach
Church, Cambridgeshire, dating from 1401 (Fig. 240), has
taces, apparently five in number, although his neck is
camailed, the jupon being dispensed with ; whilst Sir John

Fig. 239.— Sir John de St. Quintin,
1397. Brandsburton Church, York-
shire.

Fig. 240.— Sir Thomas Braunstone, 1401, Constable of
Wisbeach Castle. Wisbeach Church, Cambridge-
shire.

192

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fio. 241.— A knight, c 1405. Laugh-
tOD Charch, Lincolnshire.

form protecting arches.

Hanley, who, together with his
two wives, is shown upon a brass
in Dartmouth Church, dated
1403, has five or six taces and
a shortened jupon, edged with
fur round the arm-holes, but
with a camailed neck.

Sir John Wylcotes in Great
Tew Church, Oxfordshire, al-
though wearing camail, has a
reinforcing gorget of plate super-
posed upon it. The latter ex-
ample is a strange mixture of
old and new styles ; high pointed
bascinet and camail being blended
with palettes and taces. Lady
Wylcotes, who is shown upon
the same brass, wears the nebule
head-dress which went out of
fashion thirty years previously.
A knight of the d'Eresby family,
1410 (see Fig. 222), exemplifies
a strange mixture of transition
styles. The orle has been pre-
viously noted, but the bascinet
is provided with a bavi^re which
is placed upon the camail. The
laminated epaulieres are curiously
brought forward in order to cover
the goussets, over which they
Round the waist is seen the

CAMAIL AND JUPON PERIOD, 1360-1410 193

ornamental belt worn by all knights of that period round
the hips ; it carries no sword or misericorde and is there-
fore purely ornamental, and, if we may say so, entirely
superfluous. The sword-belt across the body from the
right hip is the fashion of the Surcoatless Period. (A
knight in Laughton Church, c, 1405 (Fig. 241), also
exhibits this feature of the sword-belt, though otherwise
he conforms to the period.) A waved fringe of mail
appears below the five taces ; the genouilli^res have pro-
minent projections over the knee-caps and are very orna-
mental, while the sollerets have a decorative gousset of
chain mail. Altogether the armour is eccentric, and
probably both the wearer and his wife were of the same
character, inasmuch as the lady is shown in a reticulated
head-dress without the veil and the high-waisted gown
then only prevailing on the Continent. The knight's
suit is beautifully enriched with a design which imparts
a very characteristic aspect to the entire figure.

CHAPTER XI

THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430

With the advent of this period we find the knightly
defence consisting essentially, for the first time in English
history, of a complete suit of plate with no textile covering
whatever worn over it. Hence the term " Surcoatless

Period," which distinguishes
it from any preceding or
succeeding era. The camail
was now finally abolished after
being in vogue in one fashion
or another for over one lumdred
years. Its great reconnnenda-
tion was mobility, as it enabled
the wearer to move his head
easily in almost any direction,
but the great detraction was
undoubtedly the weight. The
bascinet itself was heavy, but
when the thick curtain of chain
Fio.242.-Heiinot.c.i4i5. ^^il was added it must have

l>cen almost insupportable, as practically the wliole weight was
borne by the head. Now, however, a gorget of plate was
substituted for the camail (Fig. 243), and in order to relieve
the pressure upon the head still furtlier, the bascinet was
so formed as to rest upon the gorget, to the upper part of

THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430 195

which it was affixed in such a manner that it allowed
the head to be turned right and
left. Thus the defences for the
head and neck, instead of being
supported by those parts, were
transferred to the shoulders. The
bascinet, as it gradually developed
into the barbute type, became more
globular in form, although still re-
taining the pointed apex (Fig. 242) ;
the lower portion which protected
the chin, and known as the haviere^
was riveted to the upper, generally
near the temples. The breastplate,
now visible for the first time, is of
globular form and provided wdth a

backplate ; from it one can easily

perceive how the knights of the

Camail and Jupon Period obtained

the peculiar globose formation of

the upper portion of the body.

From the waist, and connected

with the breastplate, depended a

row of plates or lames of steel

overlapping each other and made

in various designs ; these were de-
nominated the taces. To support

them a lining of leather or other

strong material was used under-
neath, to which they were firmly

affixed. At first the skirt of the hauberk is generally

Fig. 243.— Robert, Lord Ferrers
of Chartley, 1407. Merevale
Abbey Church, Warwickshire.

196 ARMS AND ARMOUR

shown, similar to its former appearance under the jupon,
but after a time, probably about 1420, the hauberk was
discarded, and the knight relied for protection upon
his plate armour and padded gambeson alone. Round
the taces the hip-belt was worn horizontally during the
earlier part of this period, with the sword and misericorde
depending as in the time of the camail and jupon; but
subsequently the style was modified, and innovations crept
in which will be dealt with later. I^aminated epauli^res
were still in use to protect the shoulders, but instead of the
lames being prolonged in front to protect the goussets (as
shown in the Braunstone and d^Eresby brasses), a plate of
varying form, called a palette^ was affixed to the cuirass by
a strap, which admitted of greater freedom for the arms.
The brassarts were often formed of lames of plate riveted
together, though the older form of front and back plates
was in use. The coudidres are remarkable for the beautiful
fan-like shape of the outer plate, which was enlarged in
order to afford extra protection to the elbow-joint, and in
some cases was of very large proportions. The vambraces
show no change. The gauntlets were larger in the cuffs
than those of the preceding period : they retained the
gadlings and were often of most elaborate workmanship ;
the fingers remained separate and confonned to the natural
shape, finger-nails being often engraved upon them to
complete the resemblance. The cuissarts, genouilli^res,
grevieres, and sollerets, did not differ essentially from those
of the Camail Period, except in the richness of ornamentation
which was at times shown. One point, however, and an
entirely new one, is exemplified upon a few brasses — the
protection of the back part of the knee-joint by small lames

A.. F. Calvert

PLATE XVIII*
Armour made for the Infante, afterwards Philip III.

THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430 197

of steel. The skilful and costly nature of this defence
prevented its general adoption ; it was revived, however, at
a later period, during the early part of the sixteenth century,
and became fairly prevalent.

The sword was but slightly altered from its former shape,
the chief difference being the quillons, which were straight
and of considerable length, and the general elongation of
the grip, whereby it developed into more of a hand-and-a-
half, or bastard sword, than formerly (Fig. 244). It should
be explained that in wielding this weapon the right hand
only would be generally used, but upon occasion, in order
to give extra effect to a stroke, the left hand could be
brought up to the pommel, which was invariably pear-shaped
in order to insure a firm grip. The misericorde was sus-
pended as usual upon the right side, but the point of the
blade is now directed towards the rear, and is generally
hidden in brasses by the body of the knight (Fig. 245). One
of the characteristics of this period should be specially
noted, viz. the mode of suspension of the sword by a narrow
band passing diagonally over the front of the body from
the right hip to the left side, and occasionally, but rarely,
furnished with a buckle. The inception of this style is
shown upon the brass of a knight in Laughton Church
which exhibits both hip-belt and sword-belt worn over the
jupon; it prevailed in England for approximately sixty
years (Fig. 241).

One of the earliest examples in brasses of this period
is that at Great Tew Church, Oxfordshire, referred to on
p. 192 as being of a transition character, in consequence
of the camail appearing beneath the gorget. The bascinet
and baviere are in one piece, and the whole revolves upon

Kio. 244— Knight, 1410. South
KeUey Church, I.incs.

FiO. 245.— Rir Thomas Swynborne,
1412. Little Horkesley Church,
Kssex.

THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430 199

the gorget, which is probably prolonged upwards inside
the headpiece. The placcates are
oviform; the upper lame of the
taces covers the lower part of the
breastplate; the hauberk and hip-
belt are in use, and the great
heaume is shown under the head,
to be worn as usual over the
bascinet. Robert, Lord Ferrers
of Chartley, 1407 (Fig. 243), pre-
sents a very unornamental suit of
this earlier portion of the period,
showing the globular helmet with
the mentonniere riveted to the
upper portion and revolving within
the gorget; it should be compared
with the Wylcotes brass. Sir
Simon de Felbrygge, K.G., 1413,
is shown with the royal banner of
King Richard II., and wears the
diagonal sword-belt ; he is furnished
with many lames in his epauli^res
and has shield- shaped palettes,
while the coudieres show the fan-
shaped plates in their incipient
stage. The Yorkshire St. Quintins
appear to have been eccentric in
the style of their armour. We have
referred to peculiarities in respect
of Sir John de St. Quintin and his ^i^. 246.-Sir Thomas de st.

Quintin, c. 1420. Harpham

brass, 1397 {vide p. 191), and m that church, Yorkshire.

200 ARMS AND ARMOUR

of Sir Thomas de St Quintin, in Harpham Church, York-
shire (Fig. 246), we have more characteristic originalities.
The orle round the bascinet is of very large proportions, and

ornamented with a brooch in
front ; the gorget consists of
three plates, tlie upper one

FlO. 247.— Coudi^re, Lord Camoys, 1424.
TrottOD Church, Sussex.

FlO. 248.— Coudi6re, Peter Halle,
1420. Herne Church, Kent.

of peculiar form, showing ridged projections over the
cheekplates of the bascinet, while the epaulieres are more
of the nature of the pauldron of a subsequent period,
in being composed of a single piece. The
arm openings are protected respectively by
a roundel and a sliield-shaped palette, and
roundels are also used at the elbows, tliese
being strongly reminiscent of the early
camail days {vide Sir John de Argentine,
13G0, p. 175).
^ , The hip-belt is amoncf the latest examples

FlO. 249.— Baaclnet, r ft r

Sir William Cai- of that fashiou, having been generally dis-
SrMo^^ch.; carded by this date; it is very elaborate,
Norfolk. and suggestive in point of width of that of

the brass of Sir John de St. Quintin in 1807 (p. 191). The
hem of the hauberk is wavy, and so also is that of the
gambeson showing beneath it; this is possibly the only
example of the gambeson being visible at this late period.

THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430 201

But perhaps the chief points to be observed are the lami-
nated defences for the back parts of the genouilli^res. If
they are lames they probably represent the earliest develop-
ment of this nature ; on the other hand the artist may have
intended to represent banded mail, and omitted the small
vertical lines. The development of the fan-shaped coudi^re
may be well observed in the brass of Lord Camoys, in
Trotton Church, Sussex (Fig. 247), where the defence, both
inside and out, may be seen, but the strap or other fastening
joining the two sides of the opening is not shown. The
coudi^re may have been riveted to the brassarts and vam-
braces, in which case it was not needed. A brass in which
the fastening is apparent is that of Peter Halle, c, 1420,
in Heme Church, Kent (Fig. 248), where the strap may
be noticed crossing the mail. Upon the brass of Sir
William Calthorpe, 1420, in Burnham Thorpe Church,
Norfolk, the bascinet is shown very highly ornamented
with a border ; he also wears a collar of Esses round the
neck (Fig. 249).

The brass of Sir John Lysle (Fig. 250) in Thruxton
Church, Hampshire, bears the date 1407, and if the effigy
were executed at that time, or approximately so, we have
the earliest example of complete plate in existence in Eng-
land. There are, however, certain points about the armour
delineated which lend themselves to the supposition that the
brass was executed some ten or more years later, viz. the
absence of any hauberk ; the development of the fan-shaped
coudieres ; the position of the misericorde and the sword-belt,
&c; The distinction probably belongs to the Ferrers brass.

The brass of Sir John de Leventhorpe, 1433, at Sawbridge-
worth Church, Herts (Fig. 251), is interesting as showing the

202 ARMS AND ARMOUR

development of the lowennost tace into the subsequent

Fio. 260.— Sir John Lysle, 1407.
Thruxton Church, Hants.

Fio.261.— Sir John deLeventhorpo. 143.1.
Sawbridgcworth Chnrch, Herts.

tuilles of the Tabard Period. In this effigy the lame in

THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430 208

question is divided into two tuilles which still have the
same width, and partake of the nature of taces ; each tuille
is suspended by two buckles. This is one of the earliest
representations of this feature in England.

The shields used in the Surcoatless Period were similar
to those in the preceding, but manifest infinitely greater
varieties. They were invariably small in
size and notched for the lance, but as
every knight apparently designed his own,
it is obviously impossible to enumerate or
illustrate them. They all, however, agreed
in presenting a concave surface to the
opponent's lance, whereby it was prevented
from glancing upwards or downwards and
thus inflicting injury, while the general
tendency was to deflect the lance-point
to the left, whereby it touched neither
horse nor rider. The examples here given
are from one of the Harleian MSS.,
No. 4379 (Fig. 252), and may be taken
as a general type of the knightly shield
in this and also in the preceding period.

Remembering that there was no arbitrary law regulating
the military equipment and dress of the ordinary soldier at
this period, it is somewhat diflicult to deal decisively with
the subject, but a few examples and some broad outlines
may probably be sufficient to enable the reader to grasp a
general idea of the subject.

The Man-at-arms in the middle of the fourteenth century
was generally armed with the lance, sword, and mace, the

Fig. 252.— Shields.
(Harl. MS., 4379.)

204

ARMS AND ARMOUR

martel-de-fer or a military pick at times supplanting the
latter. The shield was heater- or heart-shaped and notched,
but sometimes circular, and of various sizes. A hauberk or
jacque reaching to the knees, and having sleeves to the

elbow, constructed of any
of the numerous kinds
of jazeraint work, or of
banded mail, covered his
body ; it was reinforced at
the shoulders, elbows, and
knees with roundels, caps,
or plates, wliile two mani-
meli^res were in use to
cover the chest and act
more or less as breast-
plates. Greaves and vam-
braces of leather streng-
thened with splints of iron,
with thick leather gaunt-
lets and shoes, guarded the
limbs, while a skull-cap
with banded camail or a
tliick leather gorget de-
pending, protected the
head and neck. Either a
gambeson or a leather tunic under the jacque completed
the equipment.

BiUman, Pikenian, or Foot Soldier, — The pikeman of
the period was equipped with a more elaborate defence
than is generally credited, and consequently his compara-
tive immunity from hurt by the lethal weapons of the time

Fio. 2C3.— Richard de Beancliainp, Earl of
Warwick, early 15th centurj. (From
the Warwick Roll.)

THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-U30 205

goes far to explain the determined resistance made by the
infantry. The very fact that there was no uniformity in
his accoutrement rendered him a formidable foe to the
knight, who naturally directed his lance to that portion of
an enemy's person possessing the least defensive equipment ;
but it required more than human divination
in the excitement of a contest to discern the
weak points in the equipment of men all
armed in a different manner. The broad
rule respecting the armour of the infantry
in mediseval times was that the knightly
defence of one period became the soldier's
salvation in the succeeding period. At the
same time many a contemporary piece of
equipment was obtained from the field of
battle and used to augment the personal
defence. The figure (Fig. 254) (taken from
the British Museum MS. Roy. 20, C. VII.)
may be taken as a general type of the
billman of the reigns of Edward III.,
Richard II., and possibly Henry IV. and V.
Upon the head he wears a skull cap com-
posed of two pieces of iron riveted together
with reinforcing strips of metal; from this depends a
camail of banded mail which is strengthened by a plate
defending the cheeks, chin, and throat, in imitation of the
baviere then coming into vogue with the knightly class.
Possibly this piece was home-made, and the village black-
smith had a hand in its fabrication. The body is protected
by a leathern jacque having roundels at the shoulders
with crude brassarts, coudieres, and vambraces, possibly of

Fig. 254.— BDlman,
Richard II. (Roy.
MS. 20, C. VII.)

206

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fio. 255. — Cuir-bouilli
headpiece. (Roy. MS.
20, C. VII.)

leather. A tegulatcd skirt of pieces of leatlier, horn, or
iron plates reaches to the knees, which are defended by
metal genouillieres, from which depend
grevi^res of metal or cuir-bouilli. In-
dications of cuissarts are apparent, anil
tlie legs are covered with chausses of
banded mail in addition. It will thus
be seen that the billman's equipment
for defence was but little inferior to
that of the knight. No sword or mace
is shown, but these were in common use.
The fauchard he wields is nine feet in
length, with cutting edges upon both
sides, a sharp pike-point at the end, and a hook with which to
dismount a horseman. A second example from the same MS.
(Fig. 255) shows a head-covering of cuir-bouilli
in the fonn of overlapping leaves or scales, while
the camail is of soft pliable leather. In this
cut the small badge is delineated upon the
left breast that denoted the leader under
whom the soldier fought. Another soldier
with a circular .shield and armed only with a
sword, is taken from the MS. above named
(Roy. 20, C. VII.); he wears a piece of
tegulated defence, probably leather, over a
leathern jerkin, while his sleeves appear to be
of a stuffed and quilted nature, similar to a ^'"- f;!;r^°!^^'''

^ ' c. 1400. (Roy.

gambeson. lie has demi-plate upon the legs ms. 20, c. vii.)
and is furnished with a bascinct (Fig. 256). A soldier
is also shown wearing the high bascinet so characteristic
of the knight of the early Camail Period; it had doubt-

THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430 207

Fig. 257.— Soldier with plate
gorget, tevip. Richard II.
(Roj. MS. 20, C. VII.)

less formed pari of some loot, and the wearer added to

the defence a large baviere which

also partially served the function of

a breastplate, while a tippet of

banded mail covers the shoulders

(Fig. 257). Some of the foot sol-
diers carried a small circular shield or

buckler about 9 inches to 12 inches

in diameter and furnished with a

boss in the centre; the left hand

would be able to grasp both it and

the pike as well. Towards the end

of the reign of Richard II. the fashion

of wearing a houppelande over the armour came in vogue
^ both for knights and common soldiery, thus

preventing the armour from being seen, except
the lower parts of the legs (see Fig. 258). With
this incongruous habit appeared also the snout-
faced or pig-faced visor of alarming propor-
tions, serving as a visor, gorget, and pectoral
combined. The annexed cut is taken from a
group of combatants in Roy MS. 20, C. VII.,
who are all defended in the same ungainly
manner. With the advent of the reign of
King Henry IV. this visor became of less size
^ and different shape, while reinforcements to
the bascinet were added to compensate. In

FiG.258.-Spear- Fig. 259, from Roy. MS. 15, D. III., a
!?f°' tJ^l?: soldier is shovm with bascinet and neck-

(Roy. MS. 20,

c. VII.) guard affixed; to protect the throat an

extra plate is used swinging upon pivots on either side

203 ARMS AND ARMOUR

of the helmet — a crude bavi^re. Another foot soldier is
shown with a similar defence (Fig. 260), but his bascinet is

Fio. 259.
(Roy. MS. 15, D. III.)

Fio. 260.
(Roy. MS. 15, D. III.)

globular at the top and furnished with a projecting neck-
guard, in which we cannot fail to see the salade in its early
stage. We may refer this to the reign of Henry V., as well

Fio. 261.-SoMicr, Richard II.,
gorget over camaU. (Boy. MS.
20, C. VII.)

Fio. 262.— Bascinot, temp.
Henry V.

as that shown in Fig. 259. Another bascinet of the same
period is given in Fig. 262, where the small holes for fixing
the lining are shown, and also those round the lower edge

Fig. 263.— Bascinet
from Brit. Mus.

THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430 209

and opening for the face, for the camail. This bascinet still
further suggests the salade, as does also the one in the
British Museum (Fig. 263).

The Archer. — The equipment of the archer was
essentially of a lighter nature than that of the billman.
A pot-de-fer upon the head, with coif-de-
mailles or camail ; a brigandine or jacque
of pourpointerie, covering at times a small
plastron-de-fer ; upon the left arm a bracer,
otherwise legs and arms in cloth stockings
and sleeves; a girdle with axe, sword, or
scimitar depending therefrom ; a quiver at
the right hip with its burden of goose- or
pigeon-feathered arrows, and the long yellow bow slung at
the back in company with a small round target — such was

the war dress of the mediaeval bow-
man. At times a stake sharpened
at both ends was carried to hinder
a charge of cavalry, but this was
generally improvised upon the spot.
In Roy. MS. 14, E. IV., the quivers
at this period are shown to be of
an elongated bag form, and quite
different to the late fifteenth-century
style. A very favourite weapon with
archers, judging by the number of men represented wearing
it in all MSS. of the time, is the scimitar, which is in-
variably of the shape shown in Fig. 264. The curious
guard for the fingers, springing from the pommel, is very
characteristic.

The weapons used by the billmen of this period are

Tig. 2G4. — Quivers and
scimitar. (Roy. MS. 14,
E. IV.)

210

ARMS AND ARMOUR

well shown in Roy. MS. 20, C. VI I. , and are reproduced in
Fig. 265. No. 1 is shown in use by a soldier whose left
hand is guarded by the circular projection, which, togetlier
with the long point, was made of steeL The shaft of this
formidable pike or partisan was about ^ve feet in length,
the point three feet, and it depended for its efficacy upon

FlO. 266.— Weapons from Roy. MS. 20, C. VII. Nos. (loft to right)
—7. Pole-axe (the voulge) ; 2. Fole-aze ; 4. Pike; 1. Pike;
8. Pike ; 6. Pole-axe (bardiohe) ; G. Fauchard (guisarme).

its armour-piercing qualities. Nos. 2, 5, 7 are the pole-
axe with varying modifications, the total length, includ-
ing shaft, being about eight feet; it was apparently a
favourite weapon, and is many times represented. No. 5,
the bardiche, however, being somewhat uncommon. Nos.
8 and 4 are simple forms of pikes, with a cross-guard in
one case, and an armour-piercing spike in the other. No.
6 is the deadly fauchard, a variety of the guisarme, evolved

THE SURCOATLESS PERIOD, 1410-1430 211

originally from the scythe ; it was a common weapon in the
Middle Ages, but inflicted such ghastly wounds with its
razor-like edges back and front, that its use in Christian

Fig. 266. — Combat with pole-axes between Earl of Warwick and Sir P. Malacat.
(Cott. MS., Julius, E. IV.)

warfare was often deplored. Its total length was usually
about eight feet.

The antiquary, John Rouse, of Warwick, has left us
some excellent drawings of military equipment of the
fifteenth century, which are preserved in the Cottonian
MS., Julius, E. IV. They illustrate the romantic adven-
tures of Richard de Beauchamp, Earl of Warvnck, and
one of these spirited sketches is introduced here (Fig. 266).

212 ARMS AND ARMOUR

It represents a combat with pole-axes between the earl and
Sir Pandulf Malacat at Verona, when Sir Pandulf was
badly wounded upon the left shoulder, and would probably
have fared worse had not the combat been stopped. We
gain an excellent idea from this sketch of the mode in
which the gorget was adjusted, which is difficult to realise
from a brass. The misericorde is suspended as in the later
days of Richard 11., and a central prolongation of the front
taces is represented, which occurs upon several English
brasses. The shape and character of the formidable
weapons are well delineated in the sketch.

A. F. Calvert

PLATE XIX*

Armour of Philip III., made by Lucio
Picinino of Milan

CHAPTER XII

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500

The sources of information for this period are considerably
enlarged when compared with those preceding it, as, in
addition to MSS., missals, brasses, and monumental
effigies we may add paintings by the old masters, crude
woodcuts following upon the introduction of printing, and,
what is of still greater value, actual examples of arms
and armour in our public and private museums, churches,
&c. The fifteenth century probably saw a greater output
of armour than any other in English history : the stirring
times in France under the Duke of Bedford and other
leaders at the end of the Hundred Years' War was
followed almost immediately by the thirty years of in-
testine strife of the Wars of the Roses. Under the stress
of these conditions armour continued to improve in de-
fensive power until, in the reign of Richard III. and the
earlier part of that of Henry VII., it attained to its maxi-
mum stage of efficiency in England. In the combat
during this century between the forgers of weapons of
offisnce and the armour with which to resist them we have
the greatest struggle ever witnessed in this country; so
invulnerable did the plate become by completeness of
covering and dexterity in tempering that all the efforts
of the bowyer, fletcher, weapon-forger, and gunsmith had
to be enlisted to break down the solidarity of the defence,

213

214

ARMS AND ARMOUR

and it was not until the succeeding century that the victory
could be fairly claimed for the attacking
faction. The Tabard Period witnessed
every device in armour that tlie wit of
man could evolve, and it was produced
imder those circumstances which would
best achieve the desired result, namely
the stress of urgent need. The name
by which this age is known, that of the
Tabard Period, has been selected by
reason of the tabard being practically
the only distinguishing feature which did
not change, and was fairly persistent
throughout. It is also used in contra-
distinction to the preceding Surcoatless

Fio. 267. - Tabard, Period. The tabard was a surcoat which

William Fyndeme,

1444. chiidrey was generally long m the body (to mid-

Church. Berks. ^j^j^j^j^ ^^^ j^^j ^^^^^^^ ^ ^^^ ^j^^^^ .^ ^j^^

earlier portion of its existence ; but in the later period
the sleeves were much shortened,
and the tabard at times only
reached to the waist. It was
split upon both sides, and the
front and back portions fastened
together by points, drawn closely
together or left wide apart to
show the armour beneath ; occa-
sionally no points whatever were
used, and the front and back
hung loosely from the shoulders.
It served as a protection against siui and rain, and also

~> r

Kio. 268. — Tabard, Sir Ralph
Bhelton, 1423. Great Rnoring
Church. Norfolk.

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 215

as a means of personal adornment, being generally em-
blazoned upon the body and also
on the sleeves with the armorial
bearings of the wearer. It was
of silk or other material, some-
times padded so as to hang stiffly;
in most examples it depends in
folds. An early brass showing
this feature is that of William
Fynderne, 1444, at Childrey in
Berkshire (Fig. 267), where the
armorial bearings are depicted
upon the body and sleeves, both
of which are long. An early
tabard is that shown upon the
brass of Sir Ralph Shelton, 1423,
in Great Snoring Church (Fig.
268), which fits tightly to the
figure, and the tincture of the
body of the tabard has apparently
been attempted by the engraver.
Another early example is that
of John Wantele, 1424, at Am-
berley Church, Sussex, where
the arms are shown upon the
body (which reaches almost
to the knees) but not on the
sleeves. Later examples are
those of Sir John Say, 1473, at
Broxbourne, Herts, and Piers
Gerard, 1492, Winvnck, Lanes.

Fig. 269.— Brass in the Scarisbrick
Chapel of Ormskirk Church, co.
Lanes., to a member of the Scaris-
brick family of that name, c. 1500.

In the Roy. MS. 18,

216

ARMS AND ARMOUR

E. v., is a very spirited drawing of Julius Caesar crossing
the Rubicon, in which he is represented as wearing a tabard.
A very elaborate example, c, 1500, is on
the brass in Ormskirk Church, Lanca-
shire, commemorating a former member
of the Scarisbrick family (Fig. 2G1)).
The figure in question wears sabbatons.
Th4i Helmet, — During the earlier
part of the Tabard Period, until about
1450, the helmet differed but sliglitly
Fio.270.-Ba8cinetofono ^o^ thosc showu in the Surcoatlcss,
of the Nevuie fkmiij, the modifications being chiefly in the

Braaoepeth, Darbam.

form of the apex and the addition of a
close-fitting visor. In the example shown (Fig. 270) the visor
was probably rapidly adjusted
to tlie lower studs in time of
danger, or the heaume could be
worn. The shape of the apex
should be noted, and this feature
is also somewhat similar in the
helmet of John, Duke of Somer-
set, A.D. 1444. In those cases
where the knight trusted to the
bascinet only, the baviere is raised
considerably to guard the face.
This is well seen in the bniss
of Sir Humphrey Stafford, 1450
(Fig. 271), where the orle is a pro-
minent feature. An example is
given here of a brass of a later period exhibiting armour of
an earlier date, an occurrence wliich at times causes confusion.

Fio. 271.— Bascinet and orle, Sir
Humphrey Staflford, 1450.

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 217

Sir John de Harpedon's brass (Fig. 272) is well known in
Westminster Abbey, and dates from 1457 ; the armour is
most unusually simple for that period, and could well be
attributed to thirty years earlier,
except in regard to the gauntlets.
There are no less than eleven lames
in the taces.

About 1450 the Salade (Germ.
schallern, from schale, a shell, or Italian
celata) was introduced into England,
and for a considerable time formed the
headpiece of knights, men-at-arms, and
archers. It rested entirely upon the
head, and was not affixed in any way
to the body armour. Its coolness was
a great recommendation, as was also
the facility with which the head could
be moved in all directions. There
appear to be two distinct headpieces
from which the salade could owe its
development ; the chapelle-de-fer is
one, and it probably suggested the
German shape. This was in use from
the thirteenth to the fifteenth cen-
turies, and consisted of a light iron
headpiece with a flat broad brim turned
down. In the earlier examples the brim projects equally
all round, but later it is much flatter at the front than at
the back, where it was drawn out to a point (see Fig. 273).
The Italian celata was the second model from which the
salade could trace its evolution ; it was the helmet of

Fig. 272.— The brass of Sir
John de Harpedon.

S18

ARMS AND ARMOUR

barbute form referred to on p. 178, and which was un-l
doubtedly founded upon the Greek model It gradually
developed in the fifteenth century into the shape shown j
in Fig. 274, losing its pointed apex and{
swelling outwards at the back of the neck.
Upon their introduction into France, both]
German and Italian forms were classed-
under the name Salade. The salade in itsj
primitive form was a head protection forged
at first out of one piece of metal (Fig. 275 and Fig. 276)
with a comb upon the crest and an occularium, which was

Flo. 273.— Chapelle-
de-fer. e. 14S5.

Fio. 274.— Italian celata.

Fig. 27C.— German salado, c, 1440.

Fio. 276 Karlj salade.

Fig. 277— Salade from Rhoden,
c. 1470.

made available by pulling down the front of the helmet until
it rested level with the eyes. This was superseded by one

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 219

having a movable visor which could be raised or lowered
at pleasure, and generally when lowered was locked with
a spring catch (Fig. 277). A few examples occur in
which the long projection at the back is jointed after

Fig. 278.— Salade, 1450.
(Tower of London.)

Fig. 279.— Salade, c. 1460.
(Wallace Collection.)

the form of the lobster's tail, and at times the salade
measured as much as sixteen or eighteen inches from
front to back. An example weighing 5 lbs. is in Case
25 at the Tower of London, dating from 1450 : it is of
German make and still bright, though
much pitted all over (Fig. 278). A very
interesting example is Fig. 279, in the
Wallace Collection, dating from about
1460, which was probably used by a
mounted archer. As in the Tower ex-
ample, it is bright but pitted: the crown
is without a ridge, but becomes combed at
the tail; the form of the salade enables it
to be thrown well back upon the head when not in use. The
small holes round the visor were probably intended for the
sewing in of a lining, and the pairs of holes at the sides
show where the strong lining was affixed which supported
the helmet itself Salades of this shape are shown in con-
temporary paintings, those of Albert Diirer for example.
The mentonniere was habitually used with the salade : it

Fig. 280. — Menton-
niere, in Whisson-
sett Church, Nor-
folk.

220

ARMS AND ARMOUR

was a plate fastened by one, two, or three screws or
almayne (sliding) rivets to the upper part of the breast-
plate, and was moulded so as to cover the lower part
of the face to the lips or nose and reach to the ears on

Fio. 281.— Scballern, with Cru»t of Bavaria (Duke
Ladwig of Bavaria, 1449).

Fia. 282.— German tjpe
of salado and armour,
1450.

both sides (see Fig. 280). In use the visor of the salade
when lowered fell outside the mentonniere, thus effectually
protecting the face of the wearer. A plate cheek-guard
or bavi^'re was worn at times, and this reinforcement is
plainly seen in the salade, with crest, of the Duke Ludwig of
Bavaria, 1449 (Fig. 281). A salade of German pattern with

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 221

a very high crown is shown in Fig. 282 ; the gjeneral type
of armour prevailing upon the Continent in 1450 is here
presented, the laminated brassarts being a special feature.
As a rule, however, a collar or standard of mail was deemed
to be a sufficient protection under the mentonniere. An
example of the mentonniere dating from about 1480 is
No. 840 in the Wallace Collection; it has two plates, of
which the upper one is held in position by a spring catch ;

Fig. 283.— German schallern, c. 1480.

Fig. 284.— Early Italian
armet, c. 1450.

it suggests the falling bufe of a later period. Fig. 283
represents a salade of the end of the fifteenth century ; it
will be seen tliat a comb runs over the crown, and that
a sliding neck-guard is used in place of a rigid tail. A
magnificent example of Milanese workmanship is shown on
Plate VII.=^, p. 60.

The Armet — Towards the end of the Tabard Period
the armet was introduced into England, and partially
superseded the salade and other forms of head-protection.
The origin of this helmet and the derivation of the name
are equally involved in obscurity ; but it probably first saw
the light in Italy, and gradually spread through Germany

222 ARMS AND ARMOUR

into England. " Armet " may be derived from " ehnetto "
or "annetto," little helm, or "heaumet," the diminutive
of " heaume." The essential difference between the annet
and all those headpieces which antedated it wjis that,
while the older styles had been put on by lowering them
over the head and the weight had in nearly all cases been

Fio. 285.— Armet, c. 1470.
(Wallace Collection.)

Fi«. 286.— Armet, probably
Italian, c. 1480.

borne by the hetid, the armet opened out in its lower part
upon hinges, and could thus be closed round the head and
neck, while the weight was transferred to the gorget and
thence to the shoulders. It was in all
respects neater, lighter, and handier than
either the salade or the bascinet, while
providing a fine defensive form for both
head and neck. The armets, like the bas-
„ „„, . , cinets, had in their earlier stages a camail

Flo. 287 Armet, c. ' »

1480. (Wallace Col- attached by a row of vervelles (Fig. 284)
and a reinforcing piece upon the forehead.
The same pin and hinge arrangement peculiar to the bas-
cinet is used for affixing the visor, which latter, by falling,
secures the opening of the helmet in front, at the same time
forming the occularium by leaving a space between its upper
edge and the lower edge of the reinforcement covering the

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 223

forehead. Under the hinges or pivots of the visor are the
upper parts of the two chin-pieces, hinged to the crown,
which overlap in front and are strapped together at the
chin. At the back occurs a tailpiece from which projects
a short stem to which is attached a flat disc, probably to
protect the back of the helmet, which was its weakest part.
An example in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 285), dating
from 1470, has the stem remaining but not the roundel,
while the holes for attaching the camail are well seen.
The pivots for the visor are in the reinforcement in this
case. Another armet from the same collection has the
pointed visor and baviere in one plate, while the roundel
is shown at the back (Fig. 286), and the latter example
shows the camail superseded by the laminated gorget with
which the armet articulated. Fig. 287 also has the
disc in position; it dates from 1480, is without any rein-
forcing piece upon the forehead, and the occularium is
contained in the visor. No. 46 suit of armour in the
Wallace Collection has an armet dating probably from
1490, with pointed visor and baviere in one piece; the
neck portion is furnished with a hollow roping running
round it, which fits upon and grips the upper lame of the
gorget, which being perfectly circular, like the neck of the
gorget, allows the head to be turned right and left. This was
a feature of the close helmets of the succeeding century.

Body Armour ; the Breastplate, — The breastplate from
approximately 1430 to 1450 remained of the same globular
form which had characterised it in the Surcoatless Period,
but after that date we often find it reinforced by another
plate, called a demi-placcate, springing upwards from the
waist, the upper part as a rule being moulded into a

224

ARMS AND ARMOUR

graceful system of cusps.
In some cases, a second rein-
forcing plate is added over
the first, but it is doubtful
if these plates reached to
the waist in any single case.
By the system of introducing
almayne rivets the breast-
plate could be given a cer-
tain amount of mobility, and
adapt itself to the move-
ments of the wearer. The
goussets at the armholes
were ridged or roped and
sometimes turned back upon
the breastplate. The back-
plates, also, about 1450, were
made in several pieces, in
order to obtain freedom of
movement; the well-known
cap-a-pie suit (Fig. 81C) in
the Wallace Collection has
no less than ^\q pieces in the
backplate. Towards the end
of the century, the breast-
plate was reinforced with
goussets of phite adapted to
the movement of the arms
by judiciously-placed rivets.
This is shown in ¥\s, 289;

Ki(}. 2MM.._(7a/)-rl-;»tf suit of Oothio armour, . , ,« ^ ii •

c 1470. (Wallace coiiecUon.) m the Towcr Collection,

Fig. 289. — Breastplate, c. 1490.
(Tower of London.)

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 225

c, 1490 or 1500, in Case 48; it shows a roped border in

the upper part, holes for affixing the lance-rest, one in the

centre for the screw of the gorget

or mentonniere, and an articulated

lame of the taces at the lower

part. The section is shown with

it. The suit of armour, No. 10

in the Wallace Collection, has

the breastplate fitted with plate

goussets ; it dates from 1470.

A demi-placcate of one plate is

well delineated in Fig. 291 from Roy. MS.

18, E. v., 1473, being a portion of the

defence of " Goliath of Gath " in that

manuscript.

Arm Defences, — These were of great

variety and, as the century progressed, of
Fig. 290.— Palette ^^^ most Original and complicated descrip-
suspended from tiou, ffivinfif to this pcriod the most charac-

pauldron.c. 1470. . . ^ , i • i • , -i •/> i

(Wallace Coiicc- tcristic forms by which it can be identified.

^^^^'^ Soon after 1440, and perhaps before that

time, the defences of the right and left
arms in England began to be of different
construction, similar to changes which
had already become well advanced upon
the Continent in the same direction.
The right arm was encased in steel
which, compared with other portions,
was comparatively thin, light, and cap-
able of the greatest flexibility and mobility ; this was occa-
sioned by the need of extreme quickness of sword-play

Fig. 291. — Demi-placcate,
&c. (Roy.MS.18,E.V.)

226

ARMS AND ARMOUR

in combat after the lance had been shivered in the charge.
Laminated epauli^res and laminated brassarts were accord-
ingly lavishly used upon the right arm as affording the
maximum amount of movement, these being strengthened
by a few extra defences of plate adapted so that they
would not hinder the flexibility so obtained. A brass at
Swaifham, 1470, illustrates the use of lames upon the right
arm (Fig. 292). The left or bridle arm, on the contrary,

Fia. 292.— Brass at Swaffham illus- Fig. 293.— Develop-

trating use of lames on right arm, ment of the cou- Fio. 294. — Development
1470. diure. of palette.

was guarded by extra strong and thick plate defences and
reinforcements of all descriptions, shapes, and sizes; in
fact the general idea was to render the whole of the left
side of the knight impenetrable to the weapons then in use.
Probably this was occasioned by the partial or total disuse
of the shield in warfare, as being an encumbrance whose dis-
advantages more than counterbalanced any possible benefits
which might have been derived from it. It can be readily
seen that in combat with an ordinary right-handed swords-
man the left side of the body would be liable to receive more
hurts, both in number and intensity, than the right, hence this
extraordinary strengthening of the defences upon that side.

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 227

Pauldrons, — The defence known as the Pauldron was
introduced in England about 1430, and may-
be looked upon as a development of the
palette, which, becoming larger and larger,
finally ended by covering the epauli^res.
This enlargement may be readily seen from
the accompanying Fig. 294, where the
palette is seen to have reached the shoulder.
The right arm defences of Walter, Lord fig. 295.— Pauidron
Hungerford, 1459, from bis effigy in SaHs- ^^^1:^^^ S
bury Cathedral (Fig. 295), afford us an Salisbury Cathe-
example 01 the pauldron m its early stage;

it is plain and of small proportions, just
sufficient to fit upon the lames beneath.
The peculiar shape of the coudi^re with its
^ flutings should be noticed. A pauldron con-
FiG. 296.-Lami- listing of loug lamcs of plate is shown in

nated pauldron. o o r

(Cott. MS., Julius, Cott. MS., Julius, E. IV. (Fig. 296), and also
on the Staunton brass; it, however, invari-
ably consisted of a strong and rigid plate,
which is well exemplified in the brass of Sir
Miles Stapleton in Ingham Church, Norfolk,
1466 (Fig. 297), where the defence, beauti-
fully ornamented by curves and cusps, is
not only designed as a protection to the
shoulder and upper arm but also to a certain
extent for the neck, which is also encircled fig. 297.— Pauid-
by a standard of interUnked chain mail In sta^^f 'nee!
this ridging for neck defence occurred the ingham church,
first idea of passe-gardes or pike-guards, an
innovation which in different forms was in vogue during

228

ARMS AND ARMOUR

the latter part of the fifteenth and nearly the whole of
the sixteenth centuries. It is still further indicated in
the brass to Thomas Colt, Armiger, 1475 (Fig. 298), at
Roydon, Essex, where a serrated ridge is shown travers-
ing a large part of the pauldron with the evident object
of arresting a sword-cut. The pauldron is of large dimen-
sions, and projects well over the breastplate. AVilliam
Yelverton, 1481, whose brass is shown at Rougham
in Norfolk, has the passe-garde well developed and rising

FlO. 298. — Pauldron,
Thomas Colt, 1475.
Roydon, Eiisex.

Fig. 209.— Pauldron,
William Yelverton,
1481. Rougham,
Norfolk.

YiQ. 300.— Pauldrons, Ac, 1490.
(Wallace Collection.)

in a high ridge on the left side of the neck ; the pauldron
is of fair dimensions, but strange to note does not cover the
left gousset (Fig. 299). It is probable that the wearer Ixjrc
a shield. The pauldron and its passe-garde or pike-guard is
well shown upon a suit of Gothic armour in the Wallace
Collection, dating from about 1490 (Fig. 800); here the
great difference in the sizes of the two pauldrons is shown,
the small one upon the riglit shoulder necessitating a palette
in the form of a roundel being introduced to guard the
gousset of the right arm.

The Cmididres, — Until about 1450 the coudi^res were
of normal sizes and proportions, but when the shield was

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 229

discarded and the left side of the knight was strengthened,
the left coudiere became of supreme importance in the
warding off of a blow, and hence underwent changes
which in some cases can only be termed monstrous
and extravagant. Probably the brass of Sir Robert
Staunton, 1458, in Castle Donington Church, Leicester-
shire, furnishes the maximum example of immensity
in coudieres, though the pecu-
liarity of having both of the same
size and pattern should not be
overlooked. Another and later
brass, that of Thomas Playters,
1479, in Sollerley Church, shows
a coudiere of a peculiar shape and
of great size, reproduced in Fig.
301. A secondary defence was
introduced about the middle of
the century to protect the inside r^o. soi.— coudiere, &c., Thomas
bend of the left arm, called the

garde-de-bras, well seen upon the brass of Sir John Per-
yent the younger, 1450, at Digswell, Herts (Fig. 302) ; in
the accompanying Fig. 303 is shown an example of a left
coudiere from the Wallace Collection (No. 46), dating from
about 1490.

The Taces, Tuilles, and Tuillettes, — The taces introduced
into armour during the Surcoatless Period reached approxi-
mately to the mid-thigh of the wearer, and during that period
short lames were attached in front at times, making the skirt
of plate even longer. As the Tabard Period progressed,
however, the taces showed a tendency to decrease in number,
thereby shortening the skirt of plate and permitting more

230

ARMS AND ARMOUR

of the thigh to be uncovered. In order to remedy this,
separate plates, rounded so as to encircle tlie limb to a certain
extent, were affixed to the lowermost tace by straps in front
of each thigh, and as the taces contracted
the ** tuilles," as they were termed, grew
longer and broader. An excellent ex-
ample is that of Henry Parice in Hilder-
sham Church, Cambridgeshire, 14C5 (Fig.
304), who has tuilles, genouilli6res, and
elbow-pieces of extravagant size; the
tuilles are here sho^vn suspended by straps
to the lowermost of three taces. Inci-
dentally the skirt of the gambeson is dis-
closed in this figure, and apparently the
edge of some defence of mail worn under
the taces. A precisely similar example
occurs at Roydon, Essex, upon the brass
of Robert Colt, 1475. Towards the end
of the century the taces had so far con-
tracted that they reached only to the hips,
as shown in the brass of Sir Anthony de
Grey, 1480, in St. Albans Abbey Church
Fio. 302.-The brass of (^^'^S' 326), but auothcr mode was some-
Sir John Peryent the timcs adopted, as sccu in the brass of Sir

yoanger.

Robert Harcourt at Stanton Harcourt,
Oxfordshire (Fig. 805), where the tuille was not attached
to the lowest tace but to a higher one, the interme-
diate space being filled up with short lames and mail.
Other smaller plates were at times added to protect the
outer part of the thighs, called " tuillettes." If the front
tuilles are themselves composed of several plates, or

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 231

jointed, then the term "tuillette" is also apphed to
them.

Leg Defences, — These did not undergo such decided
transformations as the remaining portions of
the armour, but a few innovations deserve
attention. Until 1450 there was no decided
change from the style prevailing in the Sur-
coatless Period, with perhaps the exception
that the reinforcing plate of the genouilliere
protecting the e^reviere had a tendency to fig. 303.— Garde-

f 1 1 .11 Of AP de-bras, c. 1490.

lengthen, but was still cut off square. After (Wallace Coiiec-
the above date we find that it is generally *^°^'^
pointed in the lower
part and laminated,
while reinforcing plates
begin to appear above
the genouilliere pro-
tecting the thigh and
often overlapping each
other. An unusual re-
inforcement for the

Fig. 304.— Tuilles,&c., .,,.» . ,

Henry Parice, 1465. genOUlUldre IS shoWU

Hildersham Church, '^^ ^m, 306 I it is of

Cambs. . ° .

chain mail and occurs
upon a suit in the Wallace Collection
dated 1470. The actual cap covering
the knee did not undergo much change,
except that it was often prominent
and ridged, but one innovation, and a
marked one, is exhibited upon a few brasses (in the Grey
brass, St. Albans, for example), where the usual outer

Fig. 305.— Sir Eobert Har-
court, c. 1472. Stanton
Harcourt, Oxon.

232 ARMS AND ARMOUR

guard is prolonged round the back of the knee in order
to protect the gousset generally sliown tliere. A peculiar
variety of genouillibre is delineated in Fig. 807, where a
spike is seen projecting from the guard, and a considerable
number of lames and reinforcements are shown. It is
difficult to see the possible use of this spike, and one can
only suppose that it was so placed to annoy the horsp of

Flo. 306.— Rein-
forcement to
genoailli^re, e.
1470. (Wallace
Collection.)

Fio. 307.— Spiked
gououilli6re.
(Roy. MS. 18,
E. IV.)

Fio. 308.— Sabbaton of Piere
Gerard, 141)2. Winwick,
Lanes.

an antagonist when at close quarters. It is from Roy.
MS. 18, E. IV. The sollerets remain pointed, and were
often of extravagant length, but with less lames as a rule
than in the early part of the century; towards the end,
about 1490, they disappeared and became extinct, the
broad-toed "sabbatons" taking their place. Those of
Piers Gerard, 1492, Winwick, Lancashire, are early ex-
amples of this fashion (Fig. 808).

Until about the year 14G0 the sword was worn at
the left side suspended by a narrow band passing over
the right hip, as in the Surcoatless Period, but after the
above date it appears upon brasses and monumental efTigies

et4

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 233

in front of the body, with the point slightly inclined to
the left as a rule, but sometimes hanging perpendicularly.
It has a singularly short and ill-proportioned hilt, with a
much-swollen grip and a pommel pear-shaped or circular,
while the quillons are straight, with a slight droop at the
ends towards the blade. The lance-rest
was added in the latter half of the cen-
tury, and is shown proiectinff from the

•^ . , "^ "_ Fig. 309. — Lance - rest,

breastplate m many brasses. Upon some uso. (Wallace coi-
existing suits of the period and later the i^^^^^on.)
rest is capable of being folded up when not in use, and
kept in place in both positions by a spring. The lance-
rest shown in Fig. 309 dates from 1480, and has a strut
or support beneath it to aid in bearing the weight of the
lance.

Tilting Armour, — From the very earliest times since
man bore arms he has engaged in friendly contest with
others, not only as a means of recreation and engendering
mutual respect, but it was readily recognised that the
only way to obtain skill in deadly combat was to constantly
practise the art of war in the time of peace. It was also
natural and proper that these friendly combats should be
governed by rules and regulations whereby the minimum of
risk should be run, and so avoid the possibility of turning
a manly pastime from a source of enjoyment into a combat
of deadly earnestness. Although history records that the
latter result really occurred at times, it was the exception
that proved the rule, and tilting was part and parcel of a
knight's everyday life, and the glories of the tournament
the hoped-for goal. During the early part of the Middle
Ages single encounters, and also the melde, were fought

884 ARMS AND ARMOUR

in the usual harness which the knight was in the habit
of wearing in battle, and no other precautions were taken
excepting the use of blunted spears and restricting the use
of the sword to the edge only. As time advanced, how-
ever, and armour became heavier and more cumbersome,
the being hurled out of the saddle by a dexterous thrust
of an opponent's lance was a matter of moment, seriously
endangering life and limb, whereas it had formerly been
deemed comparatively trivial when the defences were of
mail or textile fabrics. Hence as time progressed it be-
came necessary to have special armour for the tilt, or to
add such extra defences to the fighting armour that the
increased weight promised security in the saddle, and the
multiplicity of plates between himself and the weapons
of his opponent practically guaranteed immunity from
harm. This idea, once established, eventually led to the
result that a knight armed for the joust could not mount
to the saddle,' but had prominent portions of this armour
fitted when mounted. He became an apparently impreg-
nable tower of steel, immovably fixed in a huge saddle.
The student of armour must carefully discriminate between
these tilting suits and actual war harness; the former
were never used upon the field of battle, although at
times we know that certain of the tilt defences were
borrowed in order to reinforce the usual harness. The
fifteenth century witnessed the inception and almost the
culmination of the idea, and a few of the tilting suits of
the latter part of that era are still extant. Fig. 810 repre-
sents the upper portion of a suit of tilting armour from
the collection in the Museum in Vienna; it dates from
1480, and is eminently typical of the period. The half-suit,

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 235

No. 21 (Fig. 418) in the Wallace Collection, is very similar
to the suit illustrated. The great tilting heaume is com-
posed of three plates of varying thickness, ranging from
nearly half an inch in the principal portions of the front

Fig. 310. — German tilting armour, 1480, from the Collection
in the Museum at Vienna.

to an eighth of an inch in the back. A comb, convex in
section, runs down the centre of the crown, and radiating
flutings are seen to ornament the back. The neck of the
heaume is firmly fixed to the backplate, and three screws
serve the same purpose in front for the breastplate. The
occularium, formed by the aperture between the crown
plate and the front, appears somewhat large when seen in

236 ARMS AND ARMOUR

this position, but remembering that the lance is held con-
siderably lower tlian the heaume it is possible that an
opening half an inch or even less would be presented to
iL It was quite possible to have comparative freedom of

movement for the head inside

/Tfft vr'v T' V li . ' ii^ Ji the heaume, which was invari-

JP ably furnished with a quilted

Fio. 8ii.-Queue. (Wallace linuig. The Specimen in the

Wallace Collection weighs
twenty pounds. The breastplate is globular in form,
and flattened upon the right side to allow of the queue
(Fig. 811) being affixed ; this singular addition consists of
a bar of steel rectangular in section and screwed firmly

Fia. 312.— Queue, vamplate, and lance.
(Tower of London.)

into the breastplate, bearing at the rear extremity a
turned down hook which resisted the upward pressure of
the butt of the lance. The front portion of the queue
has another hook turned upwards, in which the lance
rested, and behind which it was gripped by the hand.
This hook was omitted when the lance-rest was separate
and affixed to the right side of the breastplate, as seen

A. F.

PLATE XXI *

Wa.r Armour, early Seventeenth Century,
Milanese make

Armour of Prince Philip II. , German
make, 1549

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 237

in the figure, where it appears to be forged in one piece
and secured by two screws. An excellent example de-
monstrating in a practical manner the use of the queue
is exhibited in the Tower Collection, where the lance is
seen in position, and a large vamplate of curious design
is affixed for the protection of the hand and arm (see
Fig. 312). In order to admit of the free passage of the
lance the large palette protecting the right armpit is
slightly hollowed at its lowest part ; the Wallace suit has
a companion palette protecting the left arm. Upon the
shoulders are pauldrons of two plates, decorated with
radiating fluting, and upon these in the Wallace suit are
two upright iron pins or projections to which were at-
tached the flowing ends of the lambrequin, contoise, or
mantling, depending from the crest. In the example from
Vienna eyelets occur upon the pauldrons for the same
purpose. The brassarts are laminated and overlap each
other downwards. Upon the right arm appears the Polder
mitten (a corruption of epaule de mouton, so named from
its shape), an additional reinforcing piece which is screwed
to the vambrace and protects a large portion of the
arm. It has fine flutings radiating from the bend. No
gauntlet is seen, the vamplate generally affording a suffi-
cient protection for the hand. A similar reinforcement for
the right arm is upon the Wallace suit, which difi^ers only
in a few details, whilst a very fine example of this reinforce-
ment, but dating from a later period, is preserved in the
Tower (No. 371, Case 25) (Fig. 313), which exhibits excel-
lent workmanship. The elbow-joint of the left arm is pro-
tected by a garde-de-hras similar in form to that upon the
right arm ; this is riveted to a manifere (or main-de-fer) of

238

ARMS AND ARMOUK

Flo. 313.— Polder mitten.
(Tower of London.)

one plate protecting the bridle hand, and decorated with
flutings radiating from the wrist. The protection for the
left arm in the Wallace suit is represented in Fig. 314 ; it is
a large and finely fluted piece secured to the vamplate by
three screws. A small oak shield covered with leather
and painted is secured by a guige passing through two
holes in the left upper part of the breastplate; it is not
connected in any way with the arm,
but simply hangs in position. This is
the Stechtarsche. In Fig. 310, no
armour is shown below the waist, but
the Wallace suit is furnished with taces
of four plates, to the lowest of which
are fixed the tuilles; while the breast-
plate is reinforced by a placcatc. Judg-
ing from the deep grooves and inden-
tations upon the heaume and palettes
this suit has been donned at times in
the combat a outraiice, when the war
spear was employed, as the lance- head
or coronal customarily used in the Joustes of Peace would
not effect such damage. The Joustes in question were
conducted upon the original methods, namely, in the open
lists or field and without any obstruction between the
combatants ; the system of running with a barrier between
the horses was termed the Italian course, and was not used
generally in Europe until the sixteenth century. This
Italian course is known as Ubci' die Pallia (over the
barriers), or Wclsches Gcstech, in contradistinction to the
open course or /)a? Deutsche Stcchen. The Wallace suit,
including the heaume, weighs 9G lbs., and bears the Augs-

Fio. 814.— Garde-de-bras.
(Wallace Collection.)

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 239

burg guild mark. A few extra tilting pieces which came
into vogue upon the Continent in this period will be dealt
with in a subsequent chapter.

A fine suit of Gothic armour to which reference has
been previously made is in the Wallace Collection (Fig.
288) which dates from 1470. The salade is of fine covering
form and is fitted with a lifting visor ; the mentonni^re has
one plate which falls if required. The breastplate is rein-
forced with a large placcate and has laminated goussets pro-
tected by fluted roundels. The taces are of three plates,
to which the tuillettes (so called because they consist of
more than one plate) are suspended. Espalier pauldrons
of very fine workmanship protect the shoulders and upper
arms ; the coudi^res are peculiar to the period, while mitten
gauntlets with long cuffs and demi-vambraces are also
used. Demi-cuissarts of three plates have the genouilli^res
fixed to them, while the jambarts are complete. The
soUerets and a few other parts of the suit are restorations.
The chain-mail reinforcements to the jambarts are of rare
occurrence.

A suit of armour in the Tower of London deserves
special mention by reason of its being the oldest cap-a-pie
suit of plate in the collection. It is shown in Fig. 315, and
probably dates from the middle of the fifteenth century,
having practically no decorations of any importance. It is
furnished w^ith a visorless salade having a long tailpiece,
and a gorget with a roped border which is probably of a
later date. The epaulieres consist of five laminated plates ;
the coudieres are small, while demi-brassarts and complete
vambraces cover the upper and lower arms respectively.
The gauntlets are of overlapping plates with large cuffs.

240

Fio. 316. — Gothic armonr from the
Tower of London

ARISIS AND ARMOUR

The breastplate has two
demi-placcates reinforcing it,
and the backplate is of three
pieces. The taces are three
in number, to which tuilles
of one plate are affixed.
Demi-cuissarts, plain small
genouilli^res with fan-shaped
guards, and grevieres of
complete plate (probably
recent) protect the lower
limbs. There are no sollerets.
The figure is equipped with
a pole-axe of an original
pattern, the shaft being
partially sheathed in iron.
Another suit. No. 26, pro-
bably dates from the last
years of the fifteenth century,
as it is furnished with a
chain-mail skirt. The
breastplate has a demi-plac-
cate strengthening it ; the
gauntlets are very elaborate
with fine gadlyngs and cuffs
(probably the cuffs only are
original) ; the cuissarts have
four lames upon the upper
parts, while the sollerets are
of beautiful construction but
recent workmanship. The

A. F. Calvert

PLATE XXII*
Half-suit, Pamplona Armour, Philip III.

THE TABARD TERIOD, 1430-1500 241

backplate is of two plates, and a garde-de-rein is affixed
below. The suit has been much restored.

The finest example of complete war harness for man and
horse to be seen in London, and probably in England, of
the very early period of 1460 is that which occupies such a
prominent position in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 316).
It was formerly in the famous collection of the Count de
Nieuwerkerke, who purchased it from M. E. Juste, of Paris,
for £1200, but probably if it came under the hammer now
it would bring in four to six times that sum. As one might
expect, it has had to be made up in a few parts to its
present complete condition, but nothing whatever has been
done to the armour for the lower limbs, which is original
and well preserved. This is the more to be wondered at
inasmuch as those are the parts more liable to suffer injury
and need replacement than any others. The salade is of
fine form and furnished with a visor, the occularium being
formed between the upper part of the visor and the lower
edge of the crown-piece. The mentonni^re is attached by a
screw to the breastplate, and is in two parts, the upper one
falling if required, similar to the buffe of a later period,
while a demi-placcate is affixed by an almayne rivet to rein-
force the breastplate. The backplate is in five plates, all
riveted in such a manner as to afford the maximum of
movement for the back. A garde-de-rein of four plates
is affixed below. The left coudi^re is of a graceful form
and large proportions ; the right differs in pattern, and
has a garde- de-bras riveted to the vambrace protecting the
inner bend of the arm. The cuissarts, composed of a
number of plates, are of a most ingenious design, where-
by tuilles are rendered superfluous. But perhaps the chief

242 ARMS AND ARMOUR

point of interest is centred in the sollerets, whicli have
extreme lengths of pointed toe-caps ; to these are attached
the spurs, the necks of which are ten inches in length. At
a period when it was necessary to cut the straps of sollerets
when fighting on foot, and so remove the projecting point as
to enable the knight to walk, it is curious to find in this suit
that no provision is made for such a contingency, and that
the long, pointed toe is riveted on. The genouilli^res are of
latten, and below them deep pointed plates extend, to which
are affixed the grevieres, which fasten by spring catches on
the inside. The whole of the armour is of a most graceful
form, and the eye, accustomed to mediaeval representations
of contemporary equipment, dwells with delight upon this
beautiful example of art from the Middle Ages. The use
of latten as a means of adornment for the edges of various
plates gives a rich contrast to the dull grey of the steel.
Another fine suit of cap-a-pie armour dating from the
fifteenth century, in the Wallace Collection, is No. 46,
which may be of German origin, and dates from about 1490.
The head is protected by an armet of very fine proportions,
opening down the centre of the chin-piece, and having a
bavi^re and visor in a single plate. The breastplate is very
globose, and is an example of the mediaeval ftishion of
engraving mottoes, texts, invocations to the saints, &c., upon
armour, as it bears a prominent inscription. It is furnished
with sabbatons, and partakes in many characteristics of the
nature of armour of the succeeding century.

The second half of the fifteenth century saw armour
not only in its highest development, but also of the most
beautiful form, for nothing can exceed the graceful lines
and excellence of workmanship characterising the Gothic

Fig. 316.— Equestrian figure. (Wallace Collection.)

244 ARMS AND ARMOUR

style, as it is usually called. It was made to fit the human
form and to adapt itself to the movements of the wearer.
One of the most valuable relics we possess, illustrating
its features, is the absolutely unique effigy of Richard
Beauchamp, Earl of AVarwick, in the Beauchamp Chapel,
St Mary's Church, Warwick, temp. 1454 (the earl died
in 1439). It is of latten, gilded, and in perfect preser-
vation : every feature, turn, and curve of the original
copy is faithfully reproduced not only upon the front
part or upper surface, but also upon the back ; it was
turned over some time since in order to be copied, and
was found to be as carefully and accurately finished there
as in the parts usually visible. Every detail is represented
except the mentonniere, which is usually absent in effigies,
though the catch for its attachment is shown. The points
calling for special notice are the passe-guards or pike-
guards upon the pauldrons which constitute a very early
example of this adjunct, and also the presence of two
large tuilles and two smaller tuillettes. The coudi^res
are large and of the beautiful butterfly pattern, covering
the inner bend of the arm ; they are both equal in size
and of the same pattern. Although the work was exe-
cuted by an Englishman, William Austin, the armour is
undoubtedly of Milanese manufacture, and may be ascribed
to the Missaglias. An early example, foreshadowing the
changes which occurred in defensive armour in the second
half of the fifteenth century, is that of Thomas de St.
Quintin, 1445, in Harpham Church, Yorkshire (Fig. 817).
The figure is represented in pointed bascinet and men-
tonniere, beneath which the laminated epauli^res are partly
visible. These are almost covered by two palettes of

Fig. 317.— Thomas de St. Quintin, 1415. Harpham Church, Yorks.

246

ARMS AND ARMOUR

singularly large size, that upon the left being the greater ;

the reinforcement to the breastplate appears below. Upon
the right coudi^re is an additional plate
tenned the garde-de-bras, and another of
larger proportions and different form
covers the left. The breastplate is of
the short form, and necessitates the addi-
tion of six taces, to which are appended
the tuilles. The figure shows the sword
and misericorde being worn as in the
Surcoatless Period. The effigy of Sir
Richard Vernon, 1452, at Tong Church,
Shropshire, is an excellent example of
mediffival Gothic armour, and as por-
trayed in "Shaw's Dresses and Decora-
tions " is simply magnificent. Our frontis-
piece is adapted from the illustration.

Flo. 318. —Walter Green, 7,,, , ,

Hsa Hayes, Middle- Ihe orlc surrouud-

•**• ing the bascinet is

gorgeous with chased work and pearls;
the head rests upon a ponderous
heaume, shaped for the shoulders,
and bearing crest and mantling. The
mentonnidre is here in place : the
breastplate is reinforced by a demi-
placcate, and there are eight lames

of taces with short tuilles. The j,^^ 3^^ _j^,^ Caynesford.

gcnouilli^res have only a lower re- i46o. crowhuret church,
inforcement, and the sollerets are

comparatively short A very late example of the hip-belt is
shown, from which the misericorde is suspended, the sword-

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 247

belt being quite distinct. The pauldrons are dissimilar,
the right being the smaller and hollowed for the lance;
while the upper parts of both are fluted. The coudi^res
are distinctly beautiful, with radiating flutings upon the
butterfly shape, which is folded inwards over the goussets.
Of the same date as the Beauchamp efligy is the well-
known brass of John Daundelyon at Margate, 1455, whose
breastplate is of the short character, as shown in the effigy ;
the bascinet is very pointed at the apex, and the menton-
niere appears of singularly graceful form. The palettes
are large and dissimilar, the left covering a considerable
portion of the breastplate ; upon the left arm is a circular
garde-de-bras attached to the coudiere, while an extremely
large coudiere is shown upon the left arm which may be
regarded as a second garde-de-bras : the gauntlets are
characterised by long pointed cuffs. Walter Green, 1450,
w^hose brass occurs at Hayes, Middlesex, is represented
without any bascinet, but with the head resting on a visored
tilting helm (Fig. 318). The epaulieres consist of a number
of lames which extend upwards to the neck, where they
are confined by a band, and over these are two sym-
metrical pauldrons of plain pattern. His armour bears a
remarkable resemblance to that of John Gaynesford, 1460,
in Crowhurst Church, Surrey, even to the plain gauntlets
of four plates covering the hands. In both examples
the taces are numerous and worked into broad escallops,
tuilles being omitted (Fig. 319). An early example of
the garde-de-bras is that represented upon the memorial
effigy of Sir John Verney, Albury, 1452, where a small
garde is attached to the coudiere of the right arm and
an enlarged one of peculiar shape to the left (Fig. 320).

248

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Upon the same effigy also occurs a complicated genouil-
liere, whicli, fitting closely to the knee, is provided witli

two reinforcements
above and below, the
extreme plates being
worked into highly
ornamental forms (Fig.
321). A coudiere of
large size and graceful
form is shown upon the
brass of Henry Parice,
1464, at Hildersham,
Cambridge, where arm-
„ ^ ing points are seen

Fio. 320.— Right and left Fia.321.— Genouilh^re, ° \

coudidre, Sir John Ver- Ac, Sir John Vemey, attaching it tO the braS-
ney.Albary.c.1452. Albury Church, c. 1452. ^^^ ^^ yambraCC I it

is serrated in the upper extension, and the same decora-
tion is repeated upon the pike-guard of the pauldron. In
this figure the lance-rest is shown affixed
to the breastplate (Fig. 822). Upon the
same brass there is an example of extra-
vagant tuilles attached to the lowest of three
taces by straps, while the rare occurrence
of the skirt of the haqueton with the
edge of a defence of mail (possibly a hau-

1 IX . , ,, . . , . ... Fig. 322.— CJoudiire,

berk) is shown, another in.stance being that &c., iicnry Paricc,
at Roydon, Essex, upon the brass of Robert J,^^;,""'^*"'"*^'
Colt, 1475. Sir Robert Staunton's brass,
1458, in Castle Donington Church, Leicestershire (Fig. 328),
affords us the best example of extravagant coudi^res, and
is also remarkable for showing the salade, which is of ex-

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 249

treme rarity upon brasses
and effigies. The latter is
represented very wide in
form, with a falling visor
having the occularium in
it, and guided by a pro-
longation which apparently
runs backwards and for-
wards upon a hidden comb.
The gorget is of plate, over
which the laminated epau-
lieres are shown, apparently
meeting over the chest :
other details of the arms
are hidden by the enormous
coudieres, which, strange to
say, are of similar size and
form. They are cusped and
fluted in the upper parts.
Upon viewing these arm
defences the reason may
readily be perceived why
the knights deemed the
shield superfluous. A demi-
placcate is added to the
breastplate. The armour
sho^vn upon the brass of Sir
Robert del Bothe, 1460, in
Wilmslow Church, Cheshire
(Fig. 824), is characterised
by excessive singularity of contour, suggesting an origin in

Fig. 323.— Sir Robert Staunton, 1458. Castle
Donington Church, Leicestershire.

250 ARMS AND ARMOUR

one of the northern continental countries. No lieadpiece
is shown, but the knight probably wore the salade: a
mentonni^re of several plates covers the upper part of
the breastplate, which apparently is not reinforced. The
massive pauldrons are ahnost similar in outline, and each
is provided with a projecting ridge upon the shoulder in
addition to a low pike-guard. Tlie chain mail gousset
is very apparent where the pauldron has been cut away
to permit of the lance being held. The coudieres are
strange, almost grotesque, in form. The right arm in
wielding the sword, mace, and lance, would be almost
always in an extended position, hence the small latitude
allowed in the coudi^re for bending it: the left, or
bridle arm, would necessarily be bent more. The awk-
ward position of the arms may be explained by stathig
that on the brass the knight is holding the right hand
of his lady with his own. The long form of breastplate
necessitates only three taces, which are escalloped, and two
large tuilles, vieing in size with those of Henry Parice,
are appended. The genouilli^res are remarkable for
the excessive development of the guard-plate protecting
the gousset at the back of the knees ; this guard is seen
upon many effigies but few brasses, and where it occurs
in the latter might easily be overlooked — see the brass
of Sir Anthony de Grey for example. Upon the brass of
Sir Thomas Grene in Grene's Norton Church, North-
amptonshire (Fig. 825), the knee-guards are, if anything,
larger than those upon the Bothe brass, while Henry
Green, in Luflwick Church, Northamptonshire, 1467, who
wears a tabard, has similar guards. Sir Robert del Bothe
is among the first, or is the first, to exemplify the wear-

Fig. 324.— Sir Robert del Bothe, 14G0.
^Yilmslow Church, Cheshire.

Fig. 325.— Sir Thomas Grene, 14G2.
Grene's Norton Church, Northants.

252

ARMS AND ARMOUR

ing of the sword in front of the l)ody sloping from right
to left: this fashion was introduced about 14G0, and is
one of the clues used in identifyhig the chronology of a
brass. In the brass at Grene's Norton, mentioned above,

however, a curious modification oc-
curs; the misericorde, which is of
huge dimensions and like an anelace
in some respects, is slung perpendi-
cularly in front, and the sword sus-
pended on the left side. The brass
of Sir John Say, 1473, at Brox-
bourne, Herts, is habited m a tabard
blazoned with his armorial bearings,
and exhibits the hausse-col or standard
of mail then commonly worn round
the throat when the tilting helm
alone was used as a protection for
head and neck. The memorial brass
to Sir Anthony de Grey, 1480, in
St. Albans Abbey Church, Herts,
exemplifies the armour known as
the Richard III. style in every parti-
cular (Fig. 826). Round the neck
is a hausse-col or standard ; the head
rests upon a tilting helm, the occularium and projection be-
neath it being visible over the right shoulder, while the staple
for affixing it to the breastplate appears with the manthng
over the left. The pauldrons are large, and apparently
reinforced by a secondary plate beneath; they are sym-
metrical in shape and have no pike-guards. The coudi^res
are large and of peculiar shape while long cuffs are ap

Fio. 326. -The brass of Sir
Anthony de Grey, 1480, in
St. Albans Abbey Church,
Herts.

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 253

pended to the shell-gauntlets. This form of pauldron
was fairly prevalent at the time, and also during the early
part of the next century. Two demi-placcates appear upon
the breastplate: the taces are only three in number, and
short tuilles appear in front with tuillettes covering the
hips : the genouilli^res appear with reinforcements extend-
ing well up the thigh and a guard-plate passes behind the
goussets. The sword is slung in the prevailing mode, but
the misericorde is in an almost horizontal position at the
back. Similar armour in its broad outlines is used upon
the figures in the Warwick Roll of John Rouse, written
and illustrated in the reign of Richard III., of which we
give examples. Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, is
represented in a salade with an unusual knob upon the
summit (Fig. 327) ; the short taces and dependent tuilles
are here exemplified, as are also the shell gauntlets. The
shield with its bouche at the corner is concave to the
front, and the sword is shown with a disproportionately
short grip and much swollen, similar to that in the De
Grey brass. The figure of King Richard III. (Fig. 328)
habited in a tabard also occurs in the Roll ; the coudieres
are peculiarly spiked, but otherwise the armour has the
usual Yorkist characteristics.

Among the most interesting pieces of armour in the
British Isles we must include the Rhodes armour preserved
in the Rotunda at Woolwich. The Knights of St. John
of Jerusalem occupied Rhodes after their expulsion from
the Holy Land, and subsequently migrated to Malta. In
the early part of Queen Victoria's reign General Sir J. H.
Lefroy was sent by the British Government to Turkey,
and while there secured the Dardanelles cannon described

254

ARMS AND ARMOUR

elsewhere, and also the Rhodes armour, left behind by the
Knights. This is one of the most valuable of late ** finds,"
and the whole of it is in the Rotunda. Much is in bad
condition and would not bear cleaning, but one suit has been

Fio. 827.— Richard NevUle, Earl of
SaliBbary, from Warwick Roll.

Fia. 328.— Richard III., from
Warwick RoU.

made up and is illustrated in Plate IX., p. 72. The salade
is of a very deep form with a large visor ; there is a lobster-
tail neck-guard of two lames. The mentonni^re is more
of the nature of a gorget, and is not affixed to the breast-
plate. The pauldrons are laminated and continuous with
the brassarts, which have turners, while the coudi^res are
of the sixteenth century. The vambraces are late fifteenth

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 255

century, as are also the gauntlets. The breastplate is
globose and furnished with a placeate, while the backplate
has been provided with a garde-de-rein from the Tower.
The cuissarts and genouillieres are late fifteenth century,
but the jambarts are of a still later date. In order to com-
plete the figure a chain-mail hauberk has been lent from the
Tower, and the tuilles and soUerets have been made. The
two-handed sword is a fine example, dating from c. 1510.
The whole suit may be looked upon as an example of the
style prevailing c. 1490.

The period under discussion, from 1430 to 1500, saw
the common foot soldier, whether bowman, arbalestier, bill-
man, petardier, or cannonier, much better equipped, and in
every way more carefully provided for, than in any pre-
ceding age. It had early been perceived in England that
the native infantry was as effective in battle as the flower
of foreign chivalry, and instead of being jealous of this fact,
as were the foreign nobles as a rule of their own foot
soldiers, the knights of our own country sought by every
possible means to add to the deadly prowess of the soldier,
and to defend him by every artifice that wit could devise.
It came to be recognised as an article of military know-
ledge that a charge of cavalry against English archers
armed with the long-bow resulted, under ordinary con-
ditions, in disaster, and that no good result was to be
obtained by it, but on the contrary it was simply to court
destruction. The lessons of Cre9y and of Poictiers had
been well learnt, and it was remembered that the French
chivalry, although encased in steel and the horses defended
by bardings, simply melted away before the deadly sleet
of arrows emanating from the English position, and in

256

ARMS AND ARMOUR

spite of their most strenuous efforts only mantoged to reach
the archers in such a disorganised form that an effec-
tive charge was out of the question. So long as tlie bow-
men stood finnly in their position and pi*eserved order and

discipline they had nothing to fear
from the most determined charge of
cavalry. The secret of this un-
doubtedly was that although the
knight himself was impervious to
the arrow so long as it did not
strike a gousset or the junction or
joint between two plates, his horse
was by no means equally well pro-
tected, and it is well known that
the arrow was in most cases directed
towards the unfortunate steed in pre-
ference to the invulnerable rider. It
thus became a custom for the knights
and heavily-accoutred men-at-arms
to dismount and advance on foot to
the charge, in imitation doubtless of
the example set by tlie Black Prince
at Poictiers. But the slow progress
of such a mass of heavily-armed men against a body of
archers gave the latter plenty of time to select their oppo-
nents, and with unerring aim to challenge the weak points of
their adversaries' defences with the deadly cloth-yard shaft.
The invariable result was that the archer came off victorious,
and the discomfited mail-clad knight thus found himself
unable to reach the enemy with whom he desired to close
either on horseback or on foot. In this dilemma the

Fio. 829.~Bowman, 1473.

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 257

Fig. 330.— Arbales-
tier, temp. Edward IV.
(Harl. MS., 4379.)

invention of the pavise came to his help, and for a time the
archer w^as to a certain extent nonplussed. This was at
first an upright wickerwork defence, square
in form and plane of surface, sufficiently-
large to cover the knight and also the
page or squire vv^ho bore it. The knight
also carried his own shield as an additional
defence, and thus effectually protected from
arrows could advance to close quarters, or
if necessary, take post behind his own
archers in order to repel a charge of
cavalry. The pavise, once introduced,
was quickly improved upon, and soon de-
veloped into a convex shield of wood faced with leather
or other protective material, and resting upon the ground.
Some of these were elaborately decorated,
being painted with designs of more or less
merit, some of which have been preserved
to the present age and form remarkable
instances of mediaeval art. In the Wallace
Collection is a pavise of parchment upon
a foundation of wood, with a semicircular
ridge down the centre, upon which occurs
a representation of a castle and back-
ground. It is of German origin, and
dates from about 1490; another in the
same museum of about the year 1500
331.— Arbaiestier, has a similar ridge down the centre, is
early fifteenth century. ^^ ^^le samc materials, and is painted

black. The arms of Nuremberg in colours are upon the
left-hand top corner. The examples are only sufficiently

Fig.

258

ARMS AND ARMOUR

large to cover one man, and might therefore have been used
by archers, arbalestiers, cannoniers, &c., for these were alert
to seize upon the new defence, and quickly adopted it.
During the siege of a town or fortress
the pavise was in constant use, and in
MSS. of the fifteenth and sixteenth
no. 332.— chapeiio-de-for, c. ccuturics It IS commou to note in the
H90. (Tower of London.) iHuminations how they are employed
to cover every t5rpe of combatant.
In Cotton MS., Julius, E. IV., many
examples are delineated, bodies of
pavisiers being shown in combat with
each other. Fig. 829 is a represen-
tiition of a mediseval long bowman
_ of the year 1473, in which he is

PlO. 333. — Chapelle-de-fer. . , , , «i

tewtp. Edward IV. (Roy. showu With a hat and gorgct of banded
MS. 14, E. IV.) j^.^-j ^^^ .^ hauberk of overlapping

scales of leather covered by a brigandine of leather.
The only plate defence is a corselet. The quiver is slung
at the back and a sword in front. The arbalestier

FlO. 334.— Archer*' salados, temp. Edward IV. (Roy. MS. 14, E. IV.)

shown in Plate XL., p. 366, is habited in a very gracc-
ftil salade, a brigandine of the fifteenth century partly
covered by demi-brcast and backplates, or placcates, and
wears a knee-piece upon the left leg. The arbalestier of

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 259

the time of Edward IV. is represented in the Harleian
MS. No. 4379 (Fig. 330) as possessing a complete defen-

FlG. 335.— Salades, temp. Henry VI.

sive equipment, consisting of bascinet, camail, brigandine
of jazeraint work, tuilles of leather plates, and complete
plate for the legs. In addition he has a
corselet of plate. The peculiarly-shaped
quiver for the bolts is characteristic of
the period. That arbalestiers were as an
established rule better provided with de-
fences we have already seen: a further
confirmation is afforded by the accom-
panying Fig. 331 of an arbalestier of
the earlier part of the fifteenth century,
before the dagged houppelande of Richard
II. and Henry IV.'s reign had gone out
of fashion: he is represented as being
clothed in it, whereby the defences of
the body and arms are hidden, but the
legs are in plate, with sollerets for the
feet, and a chapelle-de-fer, or plain skull-
cap, covers the head. It is taken from Sloane MS.
2433. The chapelle-de-fer was a common headpiece
for the soldier of the fifteenth century; an example

Fig. 336.— (No.6984Bib-
liotheque Nationale,
Paris. ) Late fifteenth
century leather and
plate defences.

260

ARMS AND ARMOUR

dating from c. 1490 is preserved in the Tower (Fig.
882) which shows a point in front, and numerous holes
round the brim for a padded lining. Another repre-
sentation is from Roy. MS. 14, E. IV. (Fig. 333), which
is simply a pot-de-fer with the addition of a turned-down

brim. The soldier also
wears a coif-de-mailles.
It must not be sup-
posed that salades were
entirely confined to the
knightly orders; they
are seen upon horse
and foot soldiers of all
grades; three are de-
lineated here which
are very common, and
are represented freely
in MSS. (Fig. 334),
while others of dif-
ferent forms appear in
this chapter (Fig. 335).
In MS. No. 6984 of
the Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris, a work of the late fifteenth
century, a reputed knight is shown opening a door. He is
copied in Fig. 336, and is undoubtedly a leader of arque-
busiers, pikemen, or arbalestiers, and not of the knightly
order. The extra protection of a roundel at the side of the
sala<le was very common upon the Continent, while leather
is used for taces as in Fig. 330. The limbs are in plate,
and a corselet is shown. The tabs at the neck, shoulders,
and knees are of frequent occurrence in illuminations.

FlO. 337. — Pctardier and swordsman, fifteenth
century. (Roy. MS. 18, E. V.)

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 261

The petardier of the fifteenth century, who hurled small
bombs, or else pots filled with Greek fire, into the ranks
of the enemy, was also clothed in plate, sometimes from
head to heel. He was considered of great importance,
and consequently rendered as impervious as possible to
the weapons with which he might be assailed. The
thrower of the fire-pot
represented in Fig. 337
(from Roy. MS. 18, E.
V.) is protected thus,
even to roundels cover-
ing the goussets, unless
these are mammeli^res,
which are of very fre-
quent appearance. Op-
posing him is a foot
soldier wielding a bas-
tard sword and pro-
tecting himself with a
small buckler; he wears
a visored salade with
camail and a gorget, a close-fitting brigandine over a
hauberk of mail, and his arms are protected by plate. As
is the case in the majority of representations of soldiers of
this period, the legs are entirely undefended. From the
same MS., which dates from 1473, we reproduce an in-
teresting figure (No. 338) of a hand-gun man discharging
one of the crude pieces of that period, whose picturesque
appearance it would be difficult to excel. The salade is
especially enriched with an enlargement of the customary
roundels, while two demi-placcates reinforce his breast-

FlG. 338.— Hand-gun man, c. 1473.
(Roy. MS. 18, E. 5.)

262

ARMS AND ARMOUR

plate, which is probably of leather. Only genouilli^res
appear upon his legs, a system of defence which was much
in vogue at that time. A hand-gun man of 1470 is de-
picted in Fig. 889. Among the mercenaries introduced
into England during the Wars of the Roses were " Bur-
gundenses"or Burgundian hand-
gun men. War>vick had a body
of these at the second battle of
St. Albans in 1461, and in Fig.
840 we have in all probability

Fia 839.— Hand-gun man, 1470. Pio. 840.— Hand-gun man, e. 1470.

a representation of their accoutrement. Upon the body the
defences are a padded jacque, similar in nature of material
to the gambeson, combined with chain mail and pour-
pointerie. The visor upon the salade is apparently fixed,
while the legs are enca.sed in mail chausses covered with
demi-cuissarts and jambarts. The cannonicr of the period
was usually without any defensive equipment wliatever.
A small illustration is appended from the Sloane MS. No.

THE TABARD PERIOD, 1430-1500 263

2433 of the fifteenth century, from which it will be per-
ceived that he is dressed in ordinary civilian garments
(Fig. 341). It was probably deemed unnecessary to clothe
him in armour by reason of the distance which separated
him from the contest.

Javelin men are represented in many MSS. of this

Fig. 341. — Cannonier, fifteenth century.
(Sloane MS. 2433.)

Fig. 342.— Javelin man, 1480.
(Harl. MS. 4374.)

period, but invariably in those of a foreign origin. The
soldier dehneated in Fig. 342 is taken from Harl. MS.
4374, and is remarkable for the cap-a-pie defences he
wears. The size and shape of the shield is also worthy
of notice.

Two brigandines as used in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries are
preserved in the Tower of London ; details of their structure are given
in Figs. S43 and 344, both being drawn the exact size of the originals.
In Fig. S43, A is a square sheet of thin iron, rounded at the corners

264

ARMS AND ARMOUR

and with a hole in the centre. In B it is placed between two coverings
of canvas and fastened by strings, three of which pass through the centre ;
the loose ends are continued to pass over and throui^h four more plates
which surround B and practically touch it on all sides. This is a common
and inexpensive form of jazeraint.

Rg. 344 is more complicated. A represents a sinull plate of iron,

Fio. 343.— Details of brigandines,
foart«enth and fifteenth centaries.
(Tower of London.)

O O O O OO

o o o o o

Fig. 344.— Details of studded Brig-
andine, foart«enth and fifteenth
centuries. (Tower of London.)

thinner than that used in the preceding example. The heads of six studs,
which are screwed or otherwise fastened into the plate, arc shown side by
side. In B the plate is shown edgewise and one of the studs also. C
represents this plate and four others placed between two layers of canvas,
cloth, or other material with the stud heads perforating one of the layers
and the plates overlapping like slates upon a roof D represents the
appearance of the face of the brigandine when finished. It will readily
!>c perceived that such a garment would be very pliable, and yet offer
oonilderable resistance to an arrow, or bolt, or a sword-cut.

CHAPTER XIII

THE TRANSITION PERIOD, 1500-15^

The salient features of the Transition Period are : —

1. The adoption of sabbatons in the place of sollerets,

2. The chain mail skirt.

3. The general use of a closed helmet.

The Helmet. — This defence was invariably of the
"closed" pattern, and consisted of a crown with a ridge,

Figs. 345 and 346.— Helmets. (Tower of London.)

generally roped, down the centre ; two cheek-pieces meeting
together at the chin and fastening there; the visor and
bavi^re formed of one piece, pierced with oblong apertures
for the occularium, and having small holes for ventilation and
breathing purposes. The bavi^re was a relict of the men-
tonni^re of a previous period, and the close helmet may be

266

ARMS AND ARMOUR

regarded as a direct evolution from the armet ; indeed it is
at times difficult to differentiate between the two. The
roundel at the back of the neck in the armet gave 'way to a
plate-guard. The neck portion of the close helmet was fur-
nished with a hollow rim, generally decorated with roping,
which fitted over a corresponding solid rim upon the upper
portion of the gorget and permitted the head to be rotated
from side to side. The visor and bavi^re in the early helmets
were in one piece, and very often of the bellows pattern, but

Fio. 847.

Fia. 347a.

Fia. 848.

later examples show them in two distinct pieces, the upper
portion, or visor proper, falling down inside the bavi^re.

The helmet shown in Fig. 347, dating from 1500, opens
down the sides instead of down the chin and back like the
armet, and the same pivot which secures the visor also
serves as a hinge for the crown and chin-piece. In
Fig. 847a we have illustrated a German fluted helmet,
partly engraved and gilded and of good form and work-
manship. It opens down the cliin. The skill shown in
the forging of the crown and the fluting of the twisted
comb is remarkable, and each rivet of the lining strap of
the cheek-pieces forms the centre of an engraved rose.
It is provided with a roped rim to fit over a solid rim on

THE TRANSITION PERIOD, 1500-1525 267

Fig. 348a.

the gorget. Fig. 348 is the front view of a helmet dating
from 1520 which differs chiefly from the last helmet in the
form of the visor, while the example shown in Fig. 348a is
of Italian origin and of the same period. It is small and of
air~^xtremely graceful form. Figis:
345, 346, are contemporary helmets
from the Tower of London.

T]i£_ Gorfret of the period con-
sisted of laminated plates riveted at
the sides of the neck and working
freely upon each other, but covering
from below upwards. These gorgets
were an essential feature of the
following, or Maximilian, period. It often spread over the
chest and extended down the back as well ; it was furnished
with sliding rivets to allow of the maximum of freedom.
At times this gorget was fixed to and formed part of the

close helmet. Towards the latter
part of the period the standard or
collar of mail appears to have been
worn very frequently to protect the
neck; in these cases one or more
lames forming a gorget were added
to the lower part of the helmet to
fit over and reinforce the standard.
An example is shown in Fig. 849.
The Breastplate was globose, and as a rule furnished
with one or more articulated lames (or taces) at the lower
part, which permitted freedom of motion for the body at
the waist. Fig. 350 represents a breastplate in the Tower
which has one lame. Goussets of plate are invariably
found at the junction of the arms with the body; these

Fig. 349.— Standard of
William Bardwell, 1508.
Herling Church, Norfolk.

mail,
West

268

ARMS AND ARMOUR

were also made to slide freely upon their rivets. At the
top a projecting collar protected the part where the

gorget was covered by the breast-
plate, and this feiiture is exemplified
in Figs. 350 and 851, the latter also
being an example from the Tower
of London though a little later in
date. The apertures pierced in it
were made for the attachment of
various tilting pieces. The orna-
mentation shown in Fig. 350 con-
sists of mere sunken indentations,
and suggests flutings.

The Pauldrons, — These became
much modified from the huge ex-
amples characteristic of the latter
part of the Tabard Period, losing
their angular appearance and be-
coming more rounded and at the same time mobile.
This was effected by making the whole pauldron of lames
of steel, generally overlapping up-
wards; the upper lame was as a
rule moulded into a strong pike-
guard, sometimes upon the left
shoulder only, but generally upon
both. The lames were carried
well round to the back and front
over the goussets, and were at-
tached to the back- and breast-
plates. If the right gousset is exposed a roundel is generally
affixed to the pauldron. That the plate pauldrons of an

Fio. S^jO. — Globose breastplate
1510. (Tower of London.)

Fio. 351.— Breastplate,
of London.)

(Tower

A. F. CalveH

PLATE XXIII*
Flemish Armour, 1624

THE TRANSITION PERIOD, 1500-1525 269

earlier date were not, however, entirely superseded is
shown by the monumental brass of W. Bard well, 1508,
in West Herling Church, Norfolk, where a massive
pauldron furnished with two pike-guards is shown upon
the left shoulder, and a dissimilar one of still larger pro-
portions, and provided with one guard, upon the other
(Fig. 349).

The Br assarts, Vambraces, Coudi^res, and Gauntlets all
partake more or less of the laminated character, but the
coudi^res are remarkably small when compared with those
of the later Tabard Period, and furnished with large expand-
ing guards for the inside bend of the arm.

The CuissartSj Genouillieres, and Grcvieres are of plate,
with rounded caps for the genouillieres and a few lames for
reinforcements.

The Sabbatons, — These broad-toed soUerets were intro-
duced during the later part of the previous period, those of
Piers Gerard (date 1492) being illustrated on p. 232. They
present many varieties of form, but are not distinguished
for extraordinary size, as they were during the Maximilian
period.

The^^Sldrt of Mailjwssjsi msirV^edi feature of the period,
and one by which it may generally be recognised. At times
it almost reached to the knees, but as a general rule it
terminated a short distance below the middle of the thigh.
It was of fine mail, and in all probability only a skirt
fastening round or below the waist. Occasionally it is
slit up a short distance back and front, in order to give
facilities for riding. The mail skirt had been growing in
favour for some time: Lord Audley, 1491, upon his brass
in Sheen Church, Surrey, exhibits it, and Edward Stafford,

270 ARMS AND ARMOUR

Earl of Wiltshire, 1499, in Luffwick Church, Northants,
has a similar skirt, namely to mid-thigh. Perhaps the
earhest example is that of John, Lord L'Estrange, 1478,
at Hillingdon, Middlesex, who has a mail skirt to the
knees, one tuille in front and one on either side ; sabbatons ;
a pike -guard upon the pauldron, and guards round the
back of the knees: but all are very plain, similar to the
Stanley brass.

The tuilles lying upon this skirt were generally of
large proportions and suspended from the bottom tace ; they
did not reach, however, so low as the hem of the skirt.
Wm. Bardwell's brass exhibits no tuilles whatever over
the skirt of mail, and Richard Gyll, 1511, sergeant of the
bakehouse under Henry VII., shows upon liis brass in
Shottisbrooke Church, Hants, two almost ludicrously small
tuilles, affixed to the lowest of four narrow taces. John
Colt, 1521, of Roydon Church, Essex, has extremely small
tuilles over his deep skirt of mail similar to the Gyll brass ;
he is habited in a tabard.

From the foregoing it will readily be gleaned that
very important alterations occurred in armour of this period,
differentiating it from that of the preceding. The great
pauldrons, exaggerated coudi^res, and general angularity,
and, one miglit almost say prickliness, of the later Tabard
Period was modified to a smoother and rounder style,
while it lost entirely that remarkable beauty of form
which, however much distorted by fanciful additions,
characterised the Gothic armour as a whole. The beautiful
flutings and ornamental curves disappeared to make way
for a heavy, cumbersome style indicative ofGermanstoli4ity,
and in direct antagonism to the mobile quickness and

THE TRANSITION PERIOD, 1500-1525 271

agility suggested by the majority of suits dating from the
latter half of the previous century. These characteristics
may be readily seen in the brass to Sir Humphrey Stanley

Fig. 352. — Sir Humphrey Stanley,
1505. Westminster Abbey.

Fig. 353.— Knight, c. 1510.

in Westminster Abbey, Fig. 352 ; and also that to a
knight, c, 1510, shown in Fig. 353.

That this excessive plainness was not always carried
out, however, may be gleaned from a few effigies which
display an almost lavish ornamentation. The genouilli^re

272

ARMS AND ARMOUR

of Sir Roger le Strange, 1506, Hunstanton, is given here
(Fig. 854) as an example, where the spike and fluted
reinforcements are a special feature, and also the right
genouilli6re of Sir John Cheney, 1509, in Salisbury
Cathedral, where the cusped reinforcements are note-
worthy (Fig. 355).

Towards thejend ofJJie-pepiod7^lToweVerr^¥e-find,that
altEoughJJie— salient__points of this Transition Period in

arniour~^£re--rettrmed, the
tiiste for ornamentation led
many knights to discard
the extreme plaimiessof the
mode, and to adapt a style
of decoration which in many
cases approached the grace-
fuIT^^ttigies of the years
1515 to 1520 show flutings

Fio. 864.— Genonil-
Uhrt and rein-
forcements, Sir
Roger le Strange,
1506, Hunstanton.

Fia. 365.— Genouil-

liftre, Sir John upou the brcastplatc, taccs,

Cheney, o. 1509. , .„

and tuiUes ; rosettes or other

Salisbury Cathe
dral.

ornaments upon the splays
of the genouillieres and coudidres, with fluted pauldrons
of artistic shape spreading over the backplate and breast-
plate.

A suit of armour is preserved in the Rotunda Museum
at Woolwich which is of unique interest, inasmuch as it is
attributed to, and certainly is of the date of the redoubt-
able Chevalier Bayard. It was brought from the Chateau
of St Germain, and is an object of profound regard to Gallic
visitors. The armour is engraved, russeted, and partly gilt
(Plate VIII., p. 64), and dates from c. 1520 or earlier.
In places it is fluted, but a marked peculiarity of the

THE TRANSITION PERIOD, 1500-1525 273

suit is the polygonal section of the cuissarts and jam-
barts, which may be discerned by a close inspection of the
figure. The breastplate is globose and the left epauli^re
is furnished with a pike-guard, while the sabbatons are
of the bear's-paw pattern.

For tilting purposes the great heaume was still in
use, and several examples preserved in our museums date
from this period. Not the least interesting is the weU-
known Wallace heaume, of English construction, and
dating from c. 1515 (Fig. 356). This
rare example is formed of two plates
only, the top and bact part being one
piece, and the front part or bavi^re
being the other. The two plates are
securely riveted together at the sides
and a piece is flanged over upon the
crown, where four rivets hold it in fiq. 356.— The Wallace
place. The height of the heaume is ^"^^"^^' "• ^^i^'

14 inches. It is much pitted, and in places broken.
Of the heaumes preserved in the Tower a great pro-
bability exists that they were made for pageant purposes
or simply for funeral achievements. One of early fifteenth
century date weighs 1 5 lbs. ; another of the usual shape,
but furnished with a comb, is said to have belonged to
John of Gaunt. Probably the most interesting in that
collection is a globular tilting heaume fitted with a bavi^re
which is affixed by screws, and also gripped by the visor
pivots ; it extends downwards to the breastplate, to which
it was fixed by an almayne screw (Fig. 357). In it a
square opening occurs opposite the right cheek, protected
by a small door, opening and closing upon a spring.

274

ARMS AND ARMOUR

The visor is strongly reinforced, and works upon a central
comb on the crown: the occularium is formed by the

lower part of the visor and the
upper edge of the bavi^re, and
is remarkably narrow. It weighs
18 lbs. In the Rotunda at Wool-
wich is preserved the well-known
Brocas heaume (Plate XXXIX.,
p. 364), dating from the time of
Henry VII. and formerly in the
Brocas Collection. It weighs 22^
lbs. In Haseley Church, Oxon;
Petworth Church, Sussex ; Ashford
Church, Kent; and in Westminster
Abbey, are other heaumes of con-
siderable interest, and a few are
in private collections. A heaume
Fio. 357.-GiobuUr tilting ^i^i^j^ ^j^tcd from c. 1510 was at

hcaamo. (Tower of London. )

one time in Rayne Church, Essex,
and belonged to Sir Giles Capel, the head portion of which
was almost globose, while a second example, in which,
however, the visor is slightly ridged, or of the bellows
variety, is in Wimbome Minster. These heaumes invari-
ably weigh more than 20 lbs. ; but the Westminster
example is an exception, as it only scales 17 lbs.

CHAPTER XIV

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600

This style of armour, which prevailed for so long a period,
and of which examples in some form or other exist in almost
every museum of importance, saw its origin in the reign of
the Emperor Maximilian, from whom it is named. It is
essentially the late^ Gothic style of annour^ ^ic^ly-deeorated.

with fluting, and reinforced by ^ramerotrsextfff" pieces
designed to afford additional security^to the wearer: in the
tilbyard: For the battle -field the plain, unornamental
afmonrof the Transition Period was invariably used; the
Maximilian was for tilting and pageant purposes chiefly, and
for display. Its introduction, and subsequent development
upon the lines followed by the civil dress, was a sign of
the decadence of armour for use in the battle-field — the
turning-point which eventually led to its abolition.

The invention and use of gunpowder was the death-
knell of chivalry in the full sense of its meaning. The mail-
clad knight and the heavily armed man-at-arms had played
their part through many centuries, and were now to dis-
appear; steel-clad squadrons in all the majestic might of
the pomp and circumstance of glorious war, with levelled
lance and mantling streaming in the wind, had lived their
day and were now to be no more. Armour had served its
purpose so long as sword and lance, javelin and bolt, were
the usual weapons of war ; but when it was discovered that

276

276 ARMS AND ARMOUR

against tlie deadly lead of the arquebus it was of no avail, it

H-BVJVCKMAm
Fio. 858.— The Emperor Maximilian I.

was gradually discarded as obsolete and cumbersome.

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 277

All the examples of Maximilian armour present the
same broad features, and can be easily recognised. As an
effective defence against lance and sword and mace they

Fig. 359. — Maximilian armour, 1535. (Wallace Collection.)

were extremely efficacious, and the armourers of the period
attained a high degree of excellence in producing suits
which were, for tourney purposes, invulnerable. The
general features of the armour followed the lines shown in

278

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fig. 858, which is taken from a drawing by Hans Burgk-
mair in 1508, and represents the Emperor Maximilian I.

rio. 360.— Helmet, Maximilian
armour. (Wallace Collection.)

Fig. 3G1. — Gorget, Maximilian armour.

A suit (Fig. 859) eminently typical of Maximilian armour,
having its whole surface ridged throughout in closely

grouped channels, is in the
AVallace Collection; it was
manufactured at Nuremberg
in 1535. The closed helmet

Fia. 862.— Breastplate, Ac, Maxi-
milian armour. 1535.

FiO. 363.— Backplate, Maximilian
armour, 1535.

(Fig. 860) is of a very fine pattern, simple but effec-
tive, with visor and bavi^re in one piece, only a narrow

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 279

occularium being pierced for sight. The neck articulates
with the upper plate of the gorget, which consists of four
plates (Fig. 361).

The breastplate (Fig. 362) is ridged with a strongly-
marked tapul upon the large placcate which strengthens
it ; the double-headed eagle ap-
pears upon the upper portion of
this. In the upper centre of
the breastplate proper is a hole

Fig. 364. — Pauldrons, Maximilian
armour, 1535.

Fig. 366. — Maximilian armour,
1535.

of square section for affixing a mentonni^re or bufe.
To the backplate (Fig. 363), in the lower part of which
occurs a fleur-de-lys, a garde-de-rein of two plates is
attached.

The taces of three plates have the tassets fastened to
the lower, lame. The pauldrons (Fig. 364) are large and
of a different pattern for each shoulder, the right being
hollowed for the lance, with a roundel to protect the
opening. The inside bend of the arm has fourteen

280

ARMS AND ARMOUR

FXQ. 866.— Maximilian
armoar.

splints for protection, as may be seen from the illustration
(Fig. 865). Strange to say, the inner bends of the knees
have the same protection (Fig. 366).

The sabbatons present a very fine ex-
ample of the " bear's paw " pattern ; they
are attached to the jambarts, which, as
usual in this style, are not fluted (Fig.
367). In many of the European collec-
tions, suits of armour of this pattern may
be found.

The Helmet — The closed helmet con-
tinued to be used during this period,
though modified and altered in many par-
ticulars by the armourers. The flutings are carried as a rule
from front to back over the crown, and the universal comb
is decorated with a roped pattern. The
visor is generally moulded into three
or four ridges, givuig the well-known
bellows appearance. The gorget is
affixed to the helmet, and appears as
three or more spreading lames of steel,
the lowest being worked into a pattern ;
at times, however, it appears distinct,
and the helmet revolves upon the ex-
panded upper edge of the gorget

A very perfect type of close helmet
is shown in Fig. 868, in which the
comb is much larger than was the
custom at an earlier date and resembles
that of a morion. The visor is formed of two parts, the
upper or visor proper, which falls down inside the second

Fio. 3G7.— Sahbatcn,
Maximilian armour.
(Wallace Coll.)

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 281

part or bavi^re, and could be raised for vision if required
without disturbing the lower portion. The date is c, 1560,
and it is probably Milanese. The helmet engraved in Fig.

Fig. 368. — Milanese close
helmet, c. 1560.

Fig. 369. — English close
helmet.

369 is of English origin and partakes of the nature of a
helmet and also a burgonet. The latter form of helmet
appeared during the Burgundian wars, hence its name, at
the beginning of the fifteenth cen-
tury, and is essentially a helmet
with cheek -pieces attached, the
protection for the face being
afforded by separate pieces, the
bufe or laminated chin-piece being
used at times. Fig. 370 is an
Italian burgonet dating from 1540.
For war purposes the salade
was still preferred, though the
form in the Maximilian Period
was at variance with that in the Tabard, and even in the
Transition, Period. A fine example, dating from 1520, is
preserved in the Wallace Collection (Fig. 371). It has a
low comb, and the neck-guard is broken up into three

Fig. 370. — Italian burgonet,
1540.

282

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Flo. 371.— Salade, Maxi-
milian, 1520. (Wallace
Collection.)

Wallace Collection.

lobster-tail plates. The visor is large, and contains the

occularium ; in the lower part it is hollowed so as to fit the

chin, while a series of breathing-holes are pierced through

the centre.

The Breastplate is short and furnished with goussets
sliding upon almayne rivets ; a cable
pattern appears upon the turned-over
edges, and flutings radiate from the
waist upwards. A placcate is often
found reinforcing the breastplate after
the manner of the fifteenth century-
Gothic suits, and this feature may be
seen exemplified in Fig. 224 in the
If a placcate is not used, at times a

thick band of steel makes a reinforcement round the waist,

forming an integral part of the breastplate. The taces are

generally three or four in number,

and to the lowest are affixed the

tassetSf which are laminated, and of

three or more plates, taking the

place of the now obsolete tuilles.

To the backplate is affixed the

garde-de-rein, or kidney guard,

which may be of chain mail, or

laminated scales; if of plates these are placed inside each

other upwards, so as to guard against the thrust of the

pike from a footman. The scales, if used, are also turned

in the same direction.

The breastplate of the earlier part of this period was more

globular than the Gothic example; the slight ridge down

the centre gradually developed into a strongly marked

Fig. 372.— Breastplate with
tapul. (Tower of London.)

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 283

tapul (Fig. 372). In the first years of Elizabeth's reign the
tapul was humped in the centre with a very marked pro-
jection, but as the reign progressed this hump descended
until it was near the lower edge and produced the peascod
form (Figs. 373, 374), which was an imitation in metal of the
doublet then prevalent. For combats on foot the breast-
plate was often made entirely of lames of plate moving
upon rivets, thus insuring great freedom of movement for
the body (Fig. 375).

The Pauldrons are invariably furnished with large pike-
guards ; the left differs from the right, which is hollowed to

Fig. 373.— Peascod breastplate.
(Tower of London.)

Fig. 374.— Breastplate.
(Tower of London.)

receive the lance, with a roundel falling over it for protection.
The arm defences are laminated where possible, and large
butterfly coudi^res occur. In some suits the inside bend of
the arms, and also the backs of the knees, are protected by a
series of laminated plates affording great protection while
allowing complete freedom of movement; the beautiful
workmanship and accurate adjustment of these lames are
especially noteworthy. An example from the Wallace
Collection is given in Fig. 376 ; there are two examples in
that museum and another in the Tower, upon a suit made
for Henry VIII. for fighting on foot.

284

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fio. 375.— Lami-
nated peaaood
breasiplat«. (T.
of London.)

The Cuisses, <%c. — These are long, and furnished with

one or more laminated plates at the tops for flexibility.
They are generally complete, covering the
back of the leg as well as the front; to
insure mobility the back at times is com-
posed of lames. The genouillieres are small
and tight-fitting, but provided with large
plates to protect the back of the knee.
The jambarts are close-fitting and of fine
form, and these are the only parts un-
decorated with fluting which appears more
or less over the whole suit. Sabbatons are

of the bear's paw pattern, the toes being at times of

remarkably wide dimensions.

The brayette was generally composed of steel plates,

although examples exist which are made

of a single plate. It was designed to

aflbrd protection to the abdomen, as the

breastplate only descended as far as the

wai.st, where the brayette was affixed by

means of straps. At times it was made

entirely of chain mail modelled to the

form, while many suits exhibit the cuisses,

tassets, and brayette made in one piece.

In deference to British susceptibilities these

pieces are removed from contemporary suits fi«- 376.— Defence

« . T 1 •! •. 1 for bend of arm.

of armour m our museums and exhibited

separately, but on the Continent they are invariably shown

in position.

The tilting reinforcements were many and varied, but a
few of the most prominent may be described.

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 285

\^'

The Grande Garde, — This was a protection for the
left side of the breastplate and the left shoulder; it ex-
tended from the neck to the waist, and generally covered
a small portion of the right of the
breastplate as well. In Fig. 377
the general shape is indicated, the
left or bridle arm being incapable
of a forward movement when it
was affixed. The three large screws
and nuts are for securing it to the
breastplate, and also for engaging
with the lower edge of the volante
piece, which in this example is
separate, and has oblong indenta-
tions for that purpose as seen at A.

The Volante Piece, — This reinforcement was intended
for the protection of the neck and face up to the eyes;

Fig. 377.— Grande gaxde.
(Wallace Collection.)

Fig. 378. — ^\'olante piece and
grande garde, c. 1580.
(Wallace Collection.)

Fig. 379.— Grande garde and
volante piece. (From a
Missal.)

it was either separate from the grande garde, as in Fig. 377,
or formed a part of it as in Fig. 378, where a series of
studs are shown which permanently fix it. In this example
an oblong slit is shown in the lower part of the grande

286

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fio. 380.— Manteau
d'armcs. IGth cen-
tury. (Tower of
London.)

garde by which an attachment to the breastplate can be
effected. If no grande garde is used a volant e piece
similar to a large mentonni^re in construction was affixed
to the breastplate, generally by three
screws, and while effectually protecting
both sides of the helmet was also pro-
longed over both shoulders.

A combined grande garde and volante
piece (Fig. 379) is represented upon a king en-
gaged in combat in the field
in a fifteenth century missal
presented by the Duchess of
Burgundy to Henry VI.,
which indicates that some of the reinforce-
ments used in the tilting yard were at times
made available for war purposes; this, how-
ever, was the exception and not the rule.

TJie Manteau (T Amies. — This piece con-
sists of a large concave shield intended to

protect the left side
of the breastplate and
the left shoulder, and was used in
the Italian or Free Course. It was
firmly fixed to the breastplate by
screws. The surface of the shield
was usually embossed with a raised
trellis- work design, either appliqud
or raised from the surface by repoussd; this arrangement
was intended to furnish a "grip" for the adversary's lance
(Fig. 881).

The Polder Mitten, or Epaule de Mouton, was attached

Fia. 381.— Man-
tcau d'armcs.
(Wallace Col-
lection.)

Fio. 382 — Polder mitten.
(Tower of London.)

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 287

to the right vambrace,
and afforded protection
against lance-thrusts to
the bend of the arm and
the parts immediately
above and below. The
example shown in Fig.
382 is from the Tower
of London.

The Garde-de-Bras
was essentially a pro-
tection for the left
arm in tilting; it was
attached to the cou-
diere.

The Maximilian ar-
mour for fighting on
foot in the lists was of
very elaborate work-
manship, but not as a
rule embellished with
the ornamentation
which distinguished the
equestrian suit. A
complete suit for this
purpose is preserved in
the Tower ; it was
made for King Henry
VIII., and is one of
the finest in existence,
containing as it does

Fig. 383. — Suit of armour for fighting on foot,
King Henry VIII. (Tower of London.)

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 289

over two hundred separate pieces, most of them provided
with a hollow groove which fits over a corresponding ridge
upon the adjacent piece, thus presenting such a perfect
interlocking system that the suit could not be taken to
pieces without the
greatest trouble.
There are no gous-
sets or exposed parts
of the person of the
wearer, the whole
body being en-
closed in a case of
steel whose joints
do not permit of the
passage of a pin. It
weighs nearly one
hundred pounds,
and has the broad-
toed sabbatons of
the period, and not
only is the armour jC.
carried inside the ^^rr;^.^

legs and arms at Fig. 3S5.— Three-quarter suit " slashed " armour,

the bends but plates ^^^O. (Wallace collection.)

are also provided under the seat. The breastplate has a
slight ridging down the centre, the precursor of the tapul
or prominent projection so characteristic of the breast-
plates immediately following. Upon this suit arm and
knee protections are used similar to those illustrated in
Fig. 376.

Lamboys or Bases, — The drapery used at this time,

290 ARMS AND ARMOUR

depending in folds from the waist and hanging over the
thighs, was occasionally imitated in steel, but examples
presented to the present age are of great rarity.

The finest in existence is probably that preserved in the
Tower, which once belonged to Henry VIII. ; it is a suit
made by Seusenhofer of Innsbruck, and was presented to
the king by Maximilian I., in 1514 (Fig. 384). It is

^y^mi^

Fio. 886.--Arm defences,
slaflhed armonr, 1520.
(Wallace CollectioD.)

FlO. 387. — Interior of
tasset, slashed armour,
1520. (Wallace Col-
lection.)

Fig. 388.— Taaaet,
slashed armour,
1520. (Wallace
Collection.)

shown mounted in the collection, a portion of the lamboys
back and front being removable for the purpose. A close
helmet with gorget attached protects the head and neck ;
pike-guards are affixed to both pauldrons, and a tapul
appears upon the breastplate. The legs are encased in
close-fitting plate defences with no elaborate ornamenta-
tion ; indeed, but for a beautifully-designed border in brass
with the initials H and K appearing upon it, it is now
practically devoid of ornamentation. This, however, was
compensated for when new by being silvered.

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 291

A most interesting three-quarter suit of armour of
this period, dating from 1520, was formerly in the
Meyrick Collection but is now in the Wallace. It
was made in imitation of the slashed and puffed dress
of the early part of the sixteenth century, and these
features are reproduced by repouss^ from the back of
the plates in steel (Fig. 385). Other suits of a similar
character are in existence (a portion of one being in the

Fig. 389.— Backplate, slashed
armour, 1520. (Wallace

Fig. 390. — Culette in place of garde-
de-rein, slashed armour, 1520.

Collection.) (Wallace Collection.)

Tower), but no other so fully exemplifies this peculiarity
as the Wallace example. The helmet is of the closed
type with a bellows-pattern front of five ridges, the visor
and baviere being in one piece ; the chin-piece is singular
in being of only one plate hinged upon the left side of
the helmet. The gorget is a standard collar of mail. The
breastplate is globose and furnished with laminated plate
goussets (Fig. 391) ; five plates form the taces, while tassets
(Figs. 387, 388) of five plates are moulded round the thighs ;
the protection behind is afforded by a culette (Fig. 390),

292

ARMS AND ARMOUR

an arrangement of five plates, shaped to the figure, and
depending from the backplate (Fig. 389), thus taking the
place of the garde-de-rein. Upon these suits (i.e, for fighting
on foot) were at times worn the grotesque helmets wliich
many museums exhibit, showing satanic faces, and extrava-
gant erections upon the head. One of tliese is the well-
known ram*s-hom visor in the Tower, a present from the
Emperor Maximilian to Henry VIII. It was formerly gilt,

but has subsequently been painted
and furnished with a pair of
spectacles. Allied to these grot-
esque helmets were the pageant
varieties, of which a number
are extant at the present day.
They were made solely for pro-
cessions, triumphs, general obse-
quies, &c., of gilded leather, wood,
and other materials. Examples
are given in Figs. 392, 893,
and 394.

The latter half of the Maxi-
milian Period, or broadly speaking
from about 1545 to 1600, saw a
change in armour which renders it distinct from the pre-
ceding half. The rich flutings were discarded by reason
of their tendency to hold the opponent's lance and to direct
its head towards vulnerable spots. As a substitute for the
ornamental fluting the plain surface of the steel became
covered with rich artistic designs, some of them being of
exquisite beauty and marvellous workmanship, while occa-
sionally repoussd work was added to heighten the effect

Fio. 891.— Breastplate and taces,
slashed armour, 1620. (Wallace
Collection. )

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 293

Aqua fortis was freely used for etching in combination with
hand engraving, while damascening in gold and silver was
also resorted to, the resulting suit presenting the absolute

^IG. 392. — Pageant helmet with the crest
of Burgau.

Fig. 393.— Pageant helmet with the crest
of Austria (ancient) or Tyrol.

perfection of ornamentation of that particular character.
But it is only in the surface decoration that we can admire
the armour of the period, for in other respects it falls far
short of that which preceded it. The outline was in most
cases grotesque, or bordering upon it ; the metal was thinner

294

ARMS AND ARMOUR

and lighter than before, while the devices for per-
mitting it to cover tlie bonibasted breeches, so fashion-
able at the period, effectually mars its beauty of outhne.
So similar in contour and general configuration of the
several parts is the armour of this time (which may be
termed the Decorative Period) that a description of one suit
is to all intents and purposes a description of the wliole,
and the suits severally preserved at the Armourers* Hall

and the Wallace Col-
lection will answer the
purpose. These were
made by the cele-
brated English arm-
ourer, Jacobi, whose
illustrated album of
twenty-nine suits,
made by him between
1560 and 1590, is
now in the South
Kensington Museum.
The album was sold
at the Spitzer sale
to M. Stein and was acquired by the nation; it is of
extreme ^'alue to the student of armour, and a reproduc-
tion of the work has been issued. The suits were made
for the Duke of Norfolk, the Earls of Rutland, Bedford,
I^eicester, Sussex, Worcester, Pembroke, and Cumberland,
Sir Henry Lee, Master of the Annoury, Sir Christopher
Hatton, &e., and a number have been preser^^ed and
identified by the details in the album. The suit in
the Armourers* Hall is one of the three made for Sir

Fio. 394. — Pageant helm, second half of the
15th century (Sigmaringen).

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 295

Henry Lee, while that in the Wallace Collection was made
for Sir Thomas Sackville, created Baron of Buckhurst in
1567, and subsequently Earl of Dorset. This suit came from
the Chateau Coulommiers en Brie, and was taken thence

Fig. 395.— Jacobi armour, 1575. (Wallace Collection.)

when the chateau was dismantled during the first French
Revolution (Fig. 395).

The Helmets are of the closed pattern, of the burgonet
type, with an umbril or shade for the eyes, made after the
style of a visor and coming well forward, while a falling
baviere (Fig. 398) is hinged at the sides and projects well to
the front, forming an occularium with the umbril (Fig. 396).
A deep comb passes over the top of the helmet. The

2d6

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Sackville suit has a triple-barred face-guard as well (Fig. 897).
A morion could be worn with these suits ;
it was an oval helmet with a high crest
like a comb, and a brim which was peaked
both before and behind (Fig. 415).

The Gorget consisted of four lames
of plate.

Breastplates. — These are all of the
peascod form with roped turnover
borders and the goussets laminated with one plate. The

backplates are secured to the
breastplates by steel straps over
the shoulders and under the
arms (Figs. 397 and 398).

FlO. 396.— Helmet,
Jaoobi suit.

FlO. SOT. — Faoe-guard, breastplate,
taoe, and UMets, Jacob! arinoar,
167fi.

Fio. 398.— Falling bufc and
backplatc, Jacobi suit.

Taces are of four plates adapted to cover the bombasted
breeches. In the Wallace suit the taces are of one plate

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 297

only, to which are permanently affixed the Tassets of four
plates, and these may be detached from the lower edge
of the breastplate if required, so as to permit of the
bombasted breeches being worn with no covering, the
breastplate being finished at the lower edge to allow
of it. In other suits, however, the lobster-tail tassets
descend to the knees in a dozen or more lames of plate,
where they are covered by the genouiUi^res.

Qenouillibres are
of a close - fitting
pattern, with small
plates defending
the outside bends
of the legs, and two
or more reinforcing
plates above and
below,

J a mh arts, —
These are splinted
and laminated at
the ankles.

Sahbatons are
round-toed, closely fitting, and composed of about ten
plates (Fig. 399).

Pauldrons. — These are of about five plates coming well
forward in order to protect the goussets (Fig. 400).

Br assarts cover the upper arms and are provided with
Turners, a device for allowing the arm protections to
revolve. The brassarts were made generally in two plates,
one having a hollow roped border which fitted over a
solid rim provided for it upon the adjoining plate, thus

Fig. 399. — Reinforcing breastplate, greviferes,
sabbatons, and gauntlet, Jacobi armour,
1575. (Wallace Collection.)

208

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fio. 400.— Pauldron,
Jacobi armour.

allowing a complete revolution of half the bnissart. In
addition the arms are protected by coudieres and vam-
braces.

Tlie GauTiilets are of the usual description, but one sup-
plied with the Lea suit is in the Armourers*
Hall, and is of the locking pattern, an
invention of the latter part of the six-
teenth century. It was often termed
the " Forbidden Gauntlet." Its object
was to prevent a weapon being wrenched
or forced out of the hand ; the extra
plate over the fingers is considerably
prolonged, and can be securely locked by a hole in the
plate engaging with a knob upon the wrist. An example
in the Tower is illustrated in Fig. 401. With these
Jacobi suits were delivered various extra
defences, such as a manifer, polder mitten,
grande garde and volante piece, extra
pauldron for the right shoulder, &c.

The passion which prevailed for parade
armour during the reign of Queen Eliza-
beth, led, as we have seen, to a high degree
of ornamentation being bestowed upon
many suits, but perhaps the greatest
amount of intricate workmanship was
lavished upon the roiidaches, or shields, which were made
to accompany the armour. In the Wallace Collection
there is one of the most beautiful examples in existence,
a rondache magnificently embossed and damascened, made
for Diane de Poitiers and bearing her monogram and
insignia. It dates from c, 1530, and is of Milanese manu-

Fio. 401.— •♦Forbidden"
gauntlet. (Tower of
London.)

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 299

facture, probably by the Negrolis. About a century and a
half ago it was purchased in Italy for five hundred pounds.
There are excellent examples in the Tower, Windsor Castle,
and the British Museum, while those at Madrid are renowned
for the wealth of orna-
mentation bestowed upon
them. Plate I.*, p. 16, is of
Italian make and composed
of different pieces screwed
together; the four ovals
contain representations of
classical scenes, and four
heads among other decora-
tions are upon the border.
A shield which once be-
longed to Philip II. is
shown in Plate 11."^, p. 24 ;
while in Plate III.*, p. 32,
a German masterpiece by
Desiderius Colman, finished
in 1552, is shown. This was
executed at the time when
the fiercest rivalry eSsted
between the Colmans of
Augsburg and the Negrolis
of JVIilan. The subjects depicted are War, Peace, Wisdom,
and Strength. Another rondache of Augsburg make is
given in Plate IV.^, p. 40, whilst Plate V.^, p. 48, and
Plate VI.*, p. 56, exhibit two beautiful designs from Italy.

One of the most splendid examples of armour of the
Decorative Period in Europe, or, as has been asserted.

Fig. 402.— The Ferrara half-suit, 1570.
(Wallace Collection.)

800

ARMS AND ARMOUR

the most splendid example, is the Ferrara deini-suit once
belonging to Alfonso II., Duke of Ferrara, &c. h, 1553,

d. 1597 (Fig. 402). The armour
dates from c. 1570, and is probably
the work of Lucio Picinino ; it
occupies a prominent position in the
AVallace Collection, and asserts pre-
eminence even in that wonderful
aggregation of examples of beautiful
workmanship. The pieces consist of
a breastplate of the peascod variety
with laminated goussets, and a back-
plate ; a gorget of five lames and a
tace of one plate, which could be
removed if required from the breast-
plate ; tassets, laminated pauldrons,
brassarts, vambraces, and coudicres.
The entire design
of this grand ex-
ample of the arm-
ourer's art is worked
out by embossing
from the back to
surfaces of different
levels, chasing and
Wrc7tham Thl^h, enriching with fine
gold damascening,
plating, and overlaying. The work is of remarkably even
quality, and is at the present time in an excellent state
of preservation. Examples of some of the decorations
are given in the beginning of this work, where (to the

Ym. 403.— Humphrey Brewster
1593.
Suffolk.

Fig. 404.— Close helmet,
Hatfield House, late
sixteenth century.

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 301

number of four) they are inserted as ornamental head- and
tail-pieces.

A half-suit of armour dating from about the close of the
sixteenth century is to be seen in the Wallace Collection.
It is of North Italian manufacture and is adorned with

Fig. 405.— Italian armour, late sixteenth century. (Wallace Collection.)

vertical bands containing panels of classical figures, inter-
laced designs, trophies of arms and armour, &c.

The closed helmet (Fig. 406) has a skull-piece with a
comb, and the chin-piece opens down the side; the very
deep visor strengthens the front of the helmet and is pierced
for sight, while the lower edge of the helmet articulates with
the upper edge of the gorget (Fig. 407), which consists of

802

ARMS AND ARMOUR

three plates. The breastplate (Fig. 408) is slightly peascod]
in form, and is furnished with a massive lance-rest. T\n
tace of one plate has tassets of three plates depending

(Fig. 410), while th<
pauldrons (Fig. 411)1
consist of seven lames
each. The suit was
evidently intended for
tilting purposes, as there
are holes for the adjust-
ment of various reinforcements, while the lance-rest of such
strong proportions and the deep flange upon the inner side
of the tassets only confirm the supposition.

During the later years of the reign of Elizabeth the

Fio. 406.

Fig. 407.

Fia. 408.

Fio. 409.

ordinary armour for fighting purposes assumed a character
which is very famiUar, inasmuch as it is depicted upon scores
of brasses and modelled upon hundreds of effigies in all parts
of the kingdom. Fig. 403, from the brass of Humphrey
Brewster, 1598, at Wrentham, illustrates the style.

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 303

The infantry of the Maximilian and Decorative Periods
consisted of pikemen (who we glean froiji contemporary
documents formed the greater part of the army at that
time), arquebusiers, cannoniers, and archers.

The Pikeman was furnished in the early portion of
the period with a plain pot-de-fer having a turned-down
brim, but later with a crested helmet based upon the
classic style, and later still, the cabasset helmet. Very
little armour is represented upon the pikemen in con-
temporary drawings of the early part of the century, but

Fig. 410.

Fig. 411.

Fig. 412.

it is probable that a breast- and backplate with occasion-
ally armour for the arms and thighs, wxre in general use.
A tunic, slashed breeches, and long hose are as a rule
shown, but no attempt at uniformity. Henry VIlI.'s
army is delineated in Aug. III. in the British ^Museum
upon a somewhat large scale, and the pikemen are repre-
sented in every variety of costume prevalent at the time.
Their weapons are a pike or spear of considerable length
and a sword, while a circular buckler is apparently the
only means of defence; the lower class of officers carry
the halberd.

804

ARMS AND ARMOUR

During the reigns of Edward VI. and Mary the morion
and the cabasset helmet became almost universal for the
pikemen, being in many cases richly etched in vertical
bands or covered with arabesques. When first adopted
the cabasset helmet was comparatively small (Fig. 418);
about 1560 the small projecting spike at the apex became
curved, and as the century progressed the brim grew
narrow at the sides, and projected to a considerable distance
before and behind, while the height of the headpiece in-
creased (Fig. 414). The morion, which is distinguished from

Fio. 413.— Cabasset
helmet.

Fio. 414. — Cabasset helmet,
Hatfield House, c. 1580.

Fio. 415.— Morion.

the cabasset helmet by having a comb (Fig. 415), developed
an exceedingly large one, at times 6 inches in height, about
the years 1570-80, while the brim took on a very strong
curve and was generally roped at the edge. By the end
of the century the comb had lessened in height, and the
brim became wider — it was still very lavishly decorated.

The pikemen during the reigns of Edward VI., Mary,
and Elizabeth were defended by back- and breast-plates
with tassets, gorgets, gauntlets, and steel hats or cabasset
morions (Plate XXVI., p. 818). The breastplates were made
much thicker than formerly in order to be bullet-proof, or
at least pistol-bullet-proof, while the tassets were generally

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 305

of one plate, though marked in imitation of several. The
point of the tapul gradually descended upon the breast-
plate until it assumed the peascod variety and eventually
disappeared.

The Arquebusier in the early part of the sixteenth
century carried little body armour ; he is usually represented
in the slashed and ribbed dress of Henry VIII.'s time,
with a bonnet bearing a feather upon his head. He was
provided with a matchlock arquebus and a rest, with
a sword at the left side, while hanging from a cord which
crossed the body from the
left shoulder were the
circular powder-flasks and
bullet - bag. The arque-
busiers opened the battle,
being in the van with the
artillery.

About the year 1550
we find the arquebusiers
clad in the armour termed
almayne rivets, a name which was first applied to the
system of sliding rivets invented in Germany, whereby
lames and plates were given a considerable amount of
play by the longitudinal slots in which the head of
the rivet worked, but subsequently was appHed loosely
to suits of armour in which these rivets were used.
Henry VIII., for example, sent to Milan for 5000 suits
of " almayne rivets," and in 1561, when an inventory was
made of armour in the Tower of London, 3752 ** almayne
rivets " are catalogued, besides 350 ** almayne corselets "

(Harl. MS. 7457). The armour thus designated embraced

Fig. 416. — Sabbatons, Hatfield House.

806 ARMS AND ARMOUR

a back- and breast-plate with espalier pauldrons to the
elbows; three taces with pendent tassets of eight plates
to the knees, fastened to the thighs by straps. A rigid
gorget of plate and the headpiece completed the defence.
This armour for the arquebusiers lasted during the century
with but little variation ; towards the end the tassets were
much widened to accommodate them to the breeches then
worn, and the breastplate was made so high in the neck
that occasionally a gorget was dispensed with. Among
the firearms used by the arquebusiers the carabine^ pctronel,
and caliver may be mentioned ; the petronel was so called
because its straight and square butt-end was held against
the chest when fired, and the caliver was a light piece
necessitating no rest and largely in use during the suc-
ceeding century. An improvement was made in the
loading of the arquebus, by having a single charge in a
leather case, and aggregations of these cases were termed
bandoliers; this system was in use until the invention
of the cartridge-box. An example of the armour worn by
arquebusiers and footmen toward the close of Elizabeth's
reign is given in Plate XXIV., taken from Edinburgh
Castle, where the high breastplate is seen, covered, however,
in this case, with a gorget. The pauldrons are large, and
below them occur complete protection for the arms, the
turners being very prominent. A similar suit is in the
same museum which is furnished with the long breastplate
strengthened with a placcate at the bottom ; it exhibits
a little more ornamentation and is better finished (Plate
XXIV.).

Tlie Cannonier had no particular uniform allotted to
him, and his only distinction was an apron. His cannon

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 307

commenced the battle, as is generally the case in modem
times, but with this difference, that he was placed in the
forefront of the fray instead of the rear. To afford him
some kind of protection a large mantlet was part of the
equipment, and in a combat a mantlet and a gun were
placed alternately. The artillery used was the falcon and
serpentin, and we have also mention of bombards, while
in the waggons were carried the powder and stone balls,
together with bows and arrows, for archers were in use at
this period and for some decades of the succeeding century.
The Cavalry consisted chiefly of demi-lancers clad in
half-armour, and many suits of this
character are preserved in museums. It
was, as a rule, of better quality and finish
than that served out to the footmen, the
defences for the arms being complete,
and lobster-tail tassets reaching to and
covering the knees. The head was pro- FiG.4i7.-ciose helmet,
tected by the close helmet or open Hatfield House, show.
casque, which is furnished as a rule with
a comb, an umbril over the eyes, hinged ear-pieces, and a
neckplate at the back where a holder was affixed for a
plume (Fig. 417). A light armour, especially adapted for
infantry and light cavalry, consisting of a breastplate and
tassets which reached either to the middle of the thigh
or to below the knee, was much in use during the six-
teenth century i?,nd known as the AUecret, During the
Maximilian period the officers were furnished with allecrets
as a rule, while the Swiss soldiers especially were partial
to this system, which defended only the vital parts of the
body, and did not hamper the free movement of the limbs.

808 ARMS AND ARMOUR

For light cavalry it was of great advantage, as it gave much
less trouble to the horses when the legs of the wearer
were only partially defended, as with tassets. To the lance
and sword which were always carried the pistol was added,
this being generally a wheel-lock dag with a long barrel,
the charges or cartridges being enclosed in a steel case
called a patron. Troops called Dragoons came into being,
who dispensed with the lance and used as their chief
weapon a long wheel-lock pistol termed a dragon from the
shape of its muzzle, which was modelled similarly to the
head of that mythical monster. The barrel of the dragon
was approximately of the same length as the modern
carbine. The mounted arquebusier either discharged his
piece when on horseback, resting it in a fork which pro-
jected upwards from the front of the saddle, or else dis-
mounted to fire in the same manner as the footman.

There were a number of Courses or methods of combat in tourna-
ments during the Middle Ages, but the three chief were the Das
Deutsche Stechen, the Sharfrennen, and the Italian Course or Obcr
die Pallia.

1. The Das Deutsche Stechen. This is generally known as the
German Course, and was in use in the early mediaeval period. The
chief object of the knight was to splinter his lance, or unhorse his
opponent, and with that end in view the saddles were unprovided with
the usual high plate at the back. The lance possessed a sharp point, and
the small shield upon the left side of the rider, which simply depended
from straps and was not borne by the left arm, was the part aimed at
by the opponents. The shield in the Wallace suit (Fig. 418) is 14 inches
wide, and made of oak over an inch in thickness. This form of tilting
was run with lances having a rebated coronal head in the later mediaeval
period. The suit mentioned has no leg armour except the tuilles, and the
right hand no gauntlet, according to custom. About the middle of the
fifteenth century a salade was used instead of the heaumc, but a special kind
of heaume like a truncated cone was used in the sixteenth century.

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 309

2. Sharfrennen. The main idea in running this course was to un-
horse the opponent, and with this end in view the armour and appurtenances
were different in many essentials to those used in other courses. The
saddle, for example, was unfurnished with any support either in front

Fig. 418. — Suit for the Das Deutsche Stechen Course, c. 1485.
"^ (Wallace Collection.)

or behind, and no armour was worn upon the lower limbs, which could
thus maintain the maximum '^ grip " of the horse without any encum-
brance. To protect the thighs and knees of the riders large steel pieces
called cuishes were attached to the saddle ; these were necessary because
the horses often collided in running this course, no central barrier
being used. A pair of cuishes are preserved in the Tower which date

810

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fio. 419. Tilting armour for the t)bcr
die Pallia Course, c. 1580. (Wallace
Collection.)

from c. 1480; the edges are
decorated with a roped border.
The lance used was thick and
heavy and provided with a steel
point ; upon impact it was cus-
tomary to drop it in order to avoid
the risk of injury to the right arm
by splinters in the event of the
lance shivering. The vamplate
used in this course "was of unusual
proportions, covering the whole of
the right side of the body ; an ex-
ample may be seen in the Rotunda
at Woolwich, No. XVI. 102, which
is of much larger size than the
one illustrated from the Tower
Collection (Fig. 312). The body
armour was of a ponderous nature,
nearly every piece being dupli-
cated. In this course, if one of
the comlwitants was not unhorsed
immediately upon impact, it was
customary for his attendants to
rush forward and aid him in re-
covering his seat.

3. The Italian Course, or t)ber
die Pallia. This course was of
later origin than the Stechen or
Sharfrennen, and originated in
Italy, as the name implies. It
was introduced into Germany
during the first decade of the
sixteenth century, and became
immensely popular. A wooden
barrier with a height of about
five feet separated the combatants,
who rode on either side of it,
left hand inwards. The suits of
armour for the course are, strange
to say, invariably provided with
armour for the lower limbs, and

MAXIMILIAN ARMOUR, 1525-1600 311

a typical example is one preserved in the Wallace Collection dating from
c. 1580, which has a closed helmet, breastplate of the peascod form with
a lance-rest, tassets of two wide plates, and a backplate (Fig. 419). The
pauldrons are of the espalier pattern with brassarts, vambraces, coudi^res,
and fingered gauntlets. The cuisses are wide, a peculiarity noticeable in
the armour of the latter end of the sixteenth century. Reinforced
genouilli^res, jambarts, and sabbatons complete the suit. Additional
defences are the large manteau d' amies
with the lower edge turned outwards
from the body and decorated with a
trellis pattern to engage the lance of
the opponent, and also a tilting re-
inforcement for the elbow on the
left-hand side. A second suit of
much interest is provided with a tilting
helmet of great weight, the back of
which is affixed in a peculiar manner
to the backplate (Fig. 420 was similarly
fastened), which rises high in order to
receive it, while the baviere is of the
form of a mentonniere, being affixed
by bolts to the breastplate. There is
a manifere for the left hand as well as
manteau d'armes and elbow reinforce-
ment (Fig. 421). A third suit for this
course has no sabbatons, the stirrups
being made to protect the feet.

The lance used was tipped with a
coronal head ; it was held upon the
left side of the horse's head, and the
main idea at first was to unhorse an
adversary, which was a matter of great
difficulty, as the riders sat in a deep well-saddle with high projections both
back and front Subsequently, however, the shivering of lances became
the chief object, and they were made light and hollow (the bourdonass)
for that purpose, and riders very seldom lost their seats in consequence
The armour also began to lose that ponderous character it formerly
possessed, and light Italian suits were in favour. These also were adapted
for running the various courses prevailing, screw holes and adjustments
allowing of the reinforcements being attached for each.

Arising out of the three chief courses were various subsidiary ones.

Fig. 420.— Tilting-helmet of Sir John
Gostwick, 1541.

812

ARMS AND ARMOUR

the Free Course being probably the chief. It was the Itahaii Course

used without the central barrier, and therein resembling the Stechen.
A cap-A-pie suit in the Wallace Collection
dating from about 1580 resembles that for
the Italian Course^ but has an addition to the
manteau d'armes protecting the left side of
the breastplate and the top of the left espalier,
a small extra ])late to fasten on this and the
left-hand part of the breastplate, togclher with
a reinforcing plate to fix to the right espalier.
This course dates from the second half of the
sixteenth century. The Foot Tournament was
fought with lance and sword, and no leg armour
was used — striking below the belt being for-
bidden. There was also a Club Tournament,
in which a short woo<len mace, the baston, was
used by the combatants, and this caused a
peculiar type of helmet to be evolved termed
the "grid-iron," which is shown in Fig. 422,

dating from the fifteenth century. A later variety (Fig. 423) is furnished

with a latticed visor.

In connection with tournaments generally, the saikllcs preserved in

Flo. 421.— Manifere, left-
hand tilting gauntlet,
e. lotiO. (WaUace Col.
lection.)

FlO. 422— "Grid-iron " helmet,
ICth century.

Fia. 423.— Helmet, with latticed
visor, end of 15th century.

many museums are of interest, the one dating from 1470, in the Tower of
London, being exceptionally so from its enormous dimensions, inasmuch as
when seated in it nearly the whole body of the tilter was protected.

CHAPTER XV

THE HALF-ARMOUR PERIOD AFTER 1600

Although to the average student the armour prevailing
after the sixteenth century possesses absolutely no interest
whatever, yet as a certain amount
continued to be worn, and it pos-
sessed characteristics entirely its own,
it is necessary to be acquainted with
these features in order to possess a
comprehensive knowledge of the en-
tire subject. Of cap-k-pie suits it may
be broadly stated that none exist ; of
three-quarter and half-suits there are
many to be found, but extremely
few of these are of workmanship
which can in any way compare in

. Fig. 424,

wealth of decoration with that of the

latter half of the sixteenth century, or vie in elegance of
form with the Maximilian or Gothic armour. The period
exhibits a brutal strength and crudity in armour which
forcibly suggests boiler-plate work. The defences are
simply made to cover the vital parts of the body with the
maximum amount of efficiency, without any consideration
whatever for gracefulness of outline or beauty of surface.
The helmet continued to be of the same pattern as that of
the end of the Maximilian Period ; variations, however, may

313

814

ARMS AND ARMOUR

Fio. 425.— Three-qaarter suit, 1630. (Wallace
CoUeotion.)

be found; that, for
example, delineated
in Fig. 424, and dat-
ing from c. 1605, is
more of the nature
of a close-helmet than
a burgonet, being en-
tirely self-contained.
A typical three-
quarter suit of Eng-
lish manufacture is
that shown in Fig.
425, dating from
about 1630 and form-
ing a part of the
\Vallace Collection.
It is shown in the
Museum as a cap-a-
pie suit, but the sab-
batons and jambarts
do not belong to it
and date from c, 1580.
The close helmet is
fitted with an umbril
to which is riveted the
face-guard, pierced
with sight and breath-
ing apertures ; a gor-
get plate is affixed
bearing the number
10 upon it. Under

HALF-ARMOUR PERIOD AFTER 1600 315

this plate is the gorget proper, consisting of three plates.
The breastplate has a slight tapul and is marked 42.
Upon the right-hand side an indentation has been caused
by a musket ball. There is a backplate, and also a garde-
de-rein of three plates. The espalier pauldrons have bras-
sarts attached fitted with turners. The tassets of thirteen
plates have the genouillieres depending from them.

Cavalry. — During the early years of the reign of James
I. the cavalryman had his name altered from lancer or
demi-lancer to cavalier, probably owing to Spanish inter-
course. The general tendency to discard armour as being
cumbrous and ineffective led to many noblemen and officers
of regiments contenting themselves with a cuirass worn
over a buff coat, and subsequently, in Charles I.'s reign,
whole regiments were thus accoutred, and received the name
of cuirassiers in consequence. The dragoons also, who were
introduced into the army during the latter years of the
preceding century, only wore as a defence a buff coat made
long and full and a burgonet. Apart from these, however,
we find that the regiments using the lance were equipped
with a close helmet, gorget, back- and breast-plate,
pauldrons, vambraces, gauntlets, tassets, and garde-de-rein,
while a good buff coat with long skirts was worn beneath
the armour. The weapons comprised a sword which was
stiff, cutting, and sharp-pointed ; a lance of the usual pat-
tern or pike-shaped, 18 feet long and provided with a leather
thong to fasten round the right arm, and one or two pistols,
with the necessary flask, cartouch box, and appurtenances.

The cuirassier was armed with two pistols carried at
the saddle, and a sword similar to the lancers.

The arquebusier wore a good buff coat, a back- and

316 ARMS AND ARMOUR

breast-plate, and armour generally resembling the lancer;
he carried an arquebus 80 inches in length, two pistols,
and the usual necessaries.

The carbineer had similar defences, but carried a carbine
or petronel (Plate XLI.*, p. 368), instead of the arquebus,
and a sword in place of the pistols.

The dragoons carried a pike and also a musket.
In 1G45 the arquebusiers wore triple-barred helmets,
cuirasses with garde-de-rein, pauldrons, and vambraces; at

the same time the dragoons
changed their muskets for
the shorter piece tenned the
dragon, and four years after-
wards again changed it for
the caliver. The triple-
barred helmet of the arque-
busiers and dragoons is shown
in Plate XXVI., from Edin-
burgh Castle, and Plate XXV., from the same source, illus-
trates a three-quarter suit of an officer of arquebusiers or
lancers of the time of Charles I. A second suit. No. 82, is
furnished with palettes over the goussets and an open-faced
helmet called a casquetel (Plate XXV.).

The Pikeman of the time of James I. was accoutred
in a morion-shaped helmet with a comb of moderate size
and a flat brim, not curved, but pointed back and front.
It was provided with a holder at the back, in which four
or five large feathers were inserted. A back- and breast-
plate reached to the waist, to which were affixed two broad
tassets meeting in front of six plates each (Plate XXIV.),
which spread over the well-padded breeches, reaching to the

Fio. 426.— Casquetel (British Museum.) ^

PLATE XXV
Three-quarter Suits, temp. Charles I, (Edinburgh Castle)

Fig. 427.— Pikeman's pot, 1620. (British
Museum.)

HALF-ARMOUR PERIOD AFTER 1600 317

knee and covering the front part of the limbs only. No
gorget or defences for the arms are shown. His arms are
a pike and a sword. Grose in his " Military Antiquities "
illustrates thirty-two different positions in the exercise of
the pike. The pikeman of
the Cromwellian period had
a similar accoutrement, but
his morion may better be
termed an iron hat, inas-
much as the crown is low
with a small comb, the brim
wide and drooping and com-
ing well over the eyes and
the back of the neck, and
it is without plumes (Fig.
427). Two cheek-guards are added. A back- and breast-
plate with pendent tassets consisting of many plates formed
with a leather coat and the helmet the sole protection.
In Charles I.'s reign a rondache was served out to pikemen,
but after a few years was discarded.

The Musketeer wore a morion in James I.'s reign similar
to the pikeman but with no feathers, and this with a back-
and breast-plate completed his metal defences. In 1625,
the morion was discarded in favour of a jaunty felt hat
with feathers, but subsequently the morion was again
worn with the addition of cheek-pieces. No tassets are
shown upon a musketeer's uniform. Grose illustrates
forty-five separate orders for the discharge of one bullet
from the musket. In 1637 an elaborate drill-book was
issued by a Colonel Munro, in which he states that
musketeers should be formed in companies with a front

318 ARMS AND ARMOUR

of thirty-two men, but six ranks deep ; the first firing
at once and casting about and reloading ; the second rank
passing to the front between the files to give fire next;
then the third rank, and so on until the whole ranks have
discharged. Directions for handhng the matchlock pub-
lished in 1620 contain quaint directions to the musketeer:
"He must first learn to hold the piece, to accommodate
the match between the two foremost fingers and his thumb,
and to plant the great end on his breast with a gallant
soldier-like grace, and if ignorant let him acquaint himself
fii-st with the firing of touchpowder in his pan, to bow
and bear up his body, and to attain to the level and practice
of an assured and serviceable shot, ready to charge and,
with a comely touch, discharge, making sure at the same
instant of his mark with a quick and vigilant eye."

In the reign of James I. a long rapier blade was added
to the equipment of the musketeer for protection after
he had discharged his piece. It was variously called the
" swine's feather," " hog's bristle," and " Swedish feather,"
the latter probably indicating the country of its origin.
The swine's feather and also the musket rest were aban-
doned during the Civil War.

Archers. — The persistence of archers in the ranks of
the Enghsh forces long after the introduction of firearms
and cannon is a noteworthy feature. During the sixteenth
century they formed a numerous force, and were the sub-
jects of especial care by the military commanders in the
time of Queen Elizabeth. In HarL MS. 7457, being an
inventory of the Tower arms in 1561, there are accounts
of many hundred brigandines, jacks, salades (salletts), and
skuU-caps for furnishing the defences of archers, while

HALF- ARMOUR PERIOD AFTER IGOO 319

regulations are extant of the same period which provide
that: "Captains and officers should be skilful of that
noble weapon, and to see that their soldiers according to
their draught and strength have good bows, well nocked,
well stringed, every string whip in their nock and in the
middle rubbed with wax; a bracer and shooting glove
and some spare strings ; every man a sheaf of arrows in
a leather case which contains twenty-four arrows, whereof
eight should be lighter than the rest to gall the enemy
with a hailshot of light arrows before they shall come
within the danger of their harquebus shot. Let every
man have a brigandine or a little coat of plate, a skull or
huskyn, a maule of lead of five foot in length, and a pike,
the same hanging by his girdle with a hook and a dagger ;
being thus furnished teach them to march, shoot, and
retire, for these men can neither be spared in battle
nor in skirmish. No other weapon can compare with
the same noble weapon." Even as late as the time of
Charles I. special commissions were issued under the
Great Seal for enforcing the use and practice of the long-
bow, and the Earl of Essex at the commencement of the
Civil War issued a precept in 1643 directing the raising
of a company of archers for special service.

In the time of Charles II., James II., and William
and Mary officers still wore breastplates, but armour for
the ordinary soldier was as a rule altogether discarded. As
late as the commencement of the last century the officers
of some regiments wore a small steel gorget, but all that
remains to us at the present day to remind us of the days
of chivalry and the steel-clad forces of bygone times, is the
Life Guard with his back- and breast-plate and steel helmet.

CHAPTER XVI

WEAPONS OF THE EARLY AND MIDDLE AGES

TJie Guisarme, — This may be claimed with all confidence to
be one of the most ancient of weapons, as its first inception

occurred in the Bronze
Period, and from that
remote age down to
the seventeenth cen-
tury it was more or
less in evidence (Fig.
428). It terminated
generally in an ex-
tremely strong and
sharp point; the two
sides were approxi-
mately parallel, and
both brouglit to a
keen and almost
razor-like edge, while
a short way down the
blade a hook was
fashioned. During the Mediaeval Period, when it was
known by the name of the fauchard, an agitation for its
abolition occurred in consequence of the deadly and ghastly
nature of the wounds inflicted by this weapon. There are.
many forms, and additions of various hooks and spikes occur

820

Fio. 428.— 1.

Halberd, 1470. 2. BUI.
handed sword.

3. Two-

WEAPONS-YEARLY AND MIDDLE AGES 821

n varieties of the guisarme; the point also was at times
nodified, and instead of being straight partook more of the
brm of the curved bill-hook of modern times. The blade
ent itself to elaborate ornamentation, and many examples
)f the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries exhibit splendid

12 8 4

Fig. 429.— 1. Pole-axe. 2. Fauchard (guisarme). 3. Halberd.
4. Glaive, 1550.

specimens of the work of the engraver. It was used in
England as late as the battle of Flodden (Fig. 429).

27ie Pok'Aa^e.— The battle-axe and the pole-axe may-
be claimed as one and the same weapon, simply differing
in the length of the shaft, which necessitated the use of
both hands in the case of the pole-axe, whereas one was
sufficient for the other. It is essentially a weapon of the
northern nations of Europe, and in its primitive form was

822 ARMS AND ARMOUR

the flint axe of the Stone Age, subsequently fashioned
in bronze in the succeeding period. The form was as
a rule very simple from tlie Saxon Period to the fourteenth
century, consisting merely of an axe-blade upon one side
balanced by a spike upon the other; in that century and
also in the following it became one of the most important
weapons of war, and saw many alterations and modifications.
The blade, for example, became enormously lengthened,
broadened, and flattened, and the spike occasionally became
lance-shaped, or falcon-beaked, like a military pick, wliile
the head of the shaft developed into a spike or a short,
double-edged sword-blade. In the fifteenth century it
became the favourite weapon for encounters on foot, when
the pole was furnished with one or two guards for the
hands, and was strengthened with iron splints ; the lateral
spike developed into the shape of a war-hammer having
a broad head furnished with rows of pyramidal studs or
spikes, the vertical blade at the head being retained. The
earliest preserved in the Wallace Collection dates from
c. 1850, and is similar in form to a pole-axe delineated in
Roy. MS. 16, G. VI., which shows a straight cutting
blade rectangular at the base, and with the top edge
forming an acute angle with the cutting edge. Another,
of date c. 1420, has a strong semi-circular axe-blade
balanced by a hammer with pyramidal projections upon
the face, the head terminating in a strong spike. Two
iron pieces almost cover the shaft for a distance of nearly
three feet. In Edinburgh an axe is preserved dating
from the Maximilian Period (Plate XXVII.) which
shows an axe-blade with a circular cutting edge balanced
by a spike, the head being furnished with a pike-blade.

1. Bill.

2. Halberd.

3. Military Fork.

PLATE XXVII

Arms from Edinburgh Castle

4. Two-handed Sword.

5. Arquebus.
G. Pole-Axe.

7. Glaive.

8. Halberd.

9. Ranseur.

VVEArONS— EARLY AND MIDDLE AGES 823

The shaft is protected for some distance from the axe-
head.

The Halberd. — This weapon consists essentially of an
axe-blade balanced by a pick, the head of the shaft being
prolonged in the form of a spike. In the northern part
of Europe the weapon had been in use from an exceedingly
early period, but was not introduced into France and
England until the end of the fourteenth century. The
forms are many and varied, the blade developing from a
crescent shape to that of a square, which prevailed in the
fifteenth century and preceded the curved form. The
spike also underwent changes, broadening and flattening
at times until it presented a blade-like aspect, which was
often curved downwards towards the shaft. It was essen-
tially a weapon for the foot soldier, and although it is occa-
sionally seen with a very long shaft, these are for pageant
purposes, the war weapon seldom exceeding five or six
feet in length. The form of the halberd probably lent
itself more to ornamentation than any other weapon of the
age, and those made for parade purposes exhibit at times
a remarkable wealth of decoration. The halberd became
obsolete when the pike came into favour. A beautiful
example of a halberd of the date c. 1470 from Edinburgh
Castle is shown in Plate XXVII., which exhibits a singularly
long and formidable spike, with a concave cutting edge
to the axe-blade balanced by a drooping pick. The shaft
is ironed for a good distance from the head. Fig. 428
exhibits a halberd of the date 1470 where the axe-blade
is crescent-shaped and the beak slightly drooping, as in
the Edinburgh example ; the spike, however, is not so long,
but has a stronger section of diamond shape. The oldest

824 ARMS AND ARMOUR

specimen in the Wallace Collection dates from about 1 480,
in which the axe-blade possesses a straight cutting edge,
and the spike is superseded by a strong tapering blade. A
later example, dating from c. 1550, from the Edinburgh
collection is shown in Plate XXVII.

Tlie Partisan, — This weapon was introduced into Eng-
land in the middle of the fourteenth century, and from
the fifteenth to the seventeenth centuries was used exten-
sively on the Continent, but especially in France. It con-
sists of a long double-edged blade, wide at the base, where
it is provided with projections of various forms, hooked,
crescent, &c., and tapering to a point. It is always sym-
metrical, both sides balancing in form. The Ranseur and the
Spetum are modifications of the partisan. In Plate XXVII.
a ranseur is shown from the Edinburgh Collection, dating
from the early sixteenth century : here the two points on
the lateral projections give a graceful outline to the weapon,
while at the same time increasing its efficiency. A spetum
from the Wallace Collection is shown in Fig. 430 ; it dates
from c. 1490.

Tlie Pilce, — The pike was the ** bayonet" of the mediseval
and later periods, and only disappeared at a comparatively
recent date. It was one of the simplest of weapons, being
merely a long, narrow, lance-like head of steel strengthened
by lengthy strips of metal, which ran for a considerable
distance down the pole, rendering it almost immune from
sword-cuts. The length of the weapon varied very con-
siderably, from over twenty feet to less than ten, but the
latter was 'the usual length. For resisting a cavalry charge
the base of the pike was fixed into the ground, an iron
shoe or point being provided to protect that part. The

Fig. 430.— 1 Spetum (partisan), 1490. 2. Partisan, 1570.
3. Partisan, 1580.

Fia 431.— 1. Glaives. 2, Ox-tongue partisan. 3. Guisarme. 4. Bills, 1540.

826 ARMS AND ARMOUR

long strips of steel down the shaft may be considered one
of its special features, as it could not be put out of action
by any ordinary cuts of the sword, axe, kc.

During the eighteenth century a half-pike was carried
by infantry officers which was known as the Spontoon. It
had a long shaft with a leaf-shaped head, tiie latter having
as a rule a cross-guard beneath it.

T/ie Koulge, — This weapon may be regarded as a cousin
to the guisarme, from which at times it differed but little.
In its simplest form it consists of a broad blade fixed at the m
side of a shaft, and attached to it by two or more rings
which spring from the back of the blade. The latter is
invariably carried up to a sharp point over the axis of the
shaft, and some examples show a spike upon the side
opposite to the blade. The voulge is a Swiss weapon, and
was in use by that nation at a very early period; it did
not become popular among the Continental nations,
although the French seem to have used it in the fifteenth
century, when the arbalestiers were armed with it.

Tlie Fork. — The military fork undoubtedly owed its
conception to the agricultural implement, and in its earlier
forms was of equally simple construction. The two prongs
were eventually made of unequal length, and examples are
to be found having three prongs, all unequal. As usual
with shaft weapons, hooks were added with which a horse-
man might be dismounted from his charger, and barbs
were occasionally added to give effect to side blows. Dur-
ing the fourteenth century it was much used ; it appeared
as early as the eleventh century, and was not entirely dis-
carded until the end of the seventeenth. Plate XXVII. from
the Edinburgh Collection is a scaling-fork with a particu-

Fia 432. — 1. Military fork. 2. Halberd. 3. Corseque (partisan).
4. Spetum

12 3 4

Fig. 433.— 1. Spontoon (partisan). 2. Partisan. 3. Glaive. 4. Halberd.

828 ARMS AND ARMOUR

larly long shaft, the very prominent hooks being designed
to drag defenders off the battlements.

The Bill, — The bill was in its incipient condition the
agricultural scythe mounted on a staff, and as such was
used for many years following the ninth century, but de-
velopments took place in its structure, and it subsequently
became much altered in form, invariably, however, pre-
serving the one characteristic feature of a crescent-shaped
blade with the inside edge sharpened. A small portion
of the point was double-edged. This weapon was usually
referred to as the "brown" bill, which suggests that their
usual condition was a rusty one. It remained in use
until about the fifteenth century, when it was super-
seded by the pike. The term "bill" is essentially a
generic one, and all shafted weapons of peculiar form
which do not fall readily under any particular heading
are classified as bills. Thus the weapon shown in Plate
XXVII., and classified under the term " bill " in the Edin-
burgh Collection, has a very strong resemblance to that
variety of the guisarme called the fauchard, but its extreme
narrowness in the centre of the blade disqualifies it. It
dates from c, 1470.

The Glaive differed from the bill in having the cutting
edge upon the convex instead of the concave curve of the
blade, and also in being much broader. Hooks, spurs, and
other projections appear upon the base of the blade. This
weapon was more in use upon the Continent than in Eng-
land, chiefly in France and Germany, and did not become
obsolete until the beginning of the seventeenth century.
The term "glaive" may be applied to a simple shaft
weapon bearing any resemblance to a knife blade : thus

WEAPONS— EARLY AND MIDDLE AGES 829

No. 7, Plate XXVII., from the Edinburgh Castle Museum,
would fall under that category.

TJie Morning Star, — This was a mace with a spiked
head, in great use upon the Continent, especially among
the German nations ; both
cavalry and infantry were
armed with it, the long-
shafted weapon being
appropriated by the foot
soldier. Doubtless one of
its advantages was the
facility with which it could
be made, a skilled armourer
not being necessary. The
short weapons of the cav-
alry were generally made
of iron.

The Military Flail, or
Holy Water Sprinkler, —
The Military Flail is akin
to the Morning Star and
the Morgenstern. It con-
sists of a shaft to which
is affixed a staple having
a chain depending, and to
the end of this a ball of iron usually covered with spikes.
At times a flail of iron or wood, garnished with spikes,
is substituted for the chain and ball (Fig. 434).

The Mace, — The mace has probably a more remote
antiquity than any other weapon. Commencing in the
Stone Age, it has come down through the Bronze Period

Fig. 434.— 1. Holy water sprinkler. 2.
Military flail. 3. Holy water sprinkler.

830

ARMS AND ARMOUR

to that of Iron, and was in general use by Egyptiiius,
Assyrians, and throughout the East. The Normans and
Saxons both used it at Hastings, and, as a weapon, it did
not disappear until the sixteenth century. It has under-

Fio. 435. — 1. Morning star. 2. Mace. 3. Maces (or guodendags, or morgensteras),

gone many clianges of form, being at times of cog-wheel
shape, oval, globular, dentated, ^:c., but the general form
was that of radiating flanges surrounding a central head.
The knob was at times of lead, and some maces are
furnished with a spike, as a prolongation of the shaft
(Fig. 485). As early as the fourteenth century, the mace

WEAPONS— EARLY AND MIDDLE AGES 331

was in use as a sign of authority among the law officers,
and in the sixteenth century was the characteristic weapon
of the sergeant -at-arins. The royal arms were stamped
upon the shaft at the termination of the grip : this end
became in consequence the important part of the weapon ;
the ornaments and guards augmented and developed, while
the end furnished with the knob shrank into insignificance.
Finally the mace was reversed ; the arms now appear
upon the upper end of the shaft in all corporation and
other maces. The mace was the weapon of militant
churchmen, who sought thus to avoid the denunciation
against those "who smite with the sword"; they argued
that although the Scripture forbade the shedding of blood
there was no restriction respecting the dashing out of
brains.

The Martel-de-Fer. — Under the mace variety the martel-
de-fer may be classified. It is of very ancient origin, and
has at all periods been a favourite weapon of both horse and
foot soldiers, but probably more so during the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries than at other periods. The mediaeval
archer is often represented with this weapon, and apparently
preferred it to the sword. The general shape was a plain
hammer-head projection, often serrated to prevent glancing
off plate, balanced by a pick or blade upon the opposite
side ; in only a few examples is the shaft prolonged into a
spike. In the Chain Mail Period it was often made with a
heavy falcon beak without the hammer-head, while some
examples dating from the Tabard Period have two sharp
beaks of pick-axe form for penetrating the joints of armour,
which are probably the same weapons mentioned by writers
of the fourteenth century and termed bisacutas.

882 ARMS AND ARMOUR

The Lance, — The spear, javelin, and lance of the Bronze
and Iron Periods down to the time of the Saxons and
Normans have heen treated under their different headings.
For three centuries after the Norman Conquest the spear
does not exhibit any remarkable change ; it was of uniform
size and thickness from end to end, with a lozenge or leaf-
shaped head, rarely barbed, the lozenge being the commoner
form. For tournament purposes the heads were blunted,
but as jousting became more popular special points or
coronals were introduced, of which examples are shown in
most museums. These were not intended to pierce, but
only to give a grip upon plate armour.

During the Splinted and Camail Periods the men-at-arms
invariably dismounted and fought upon foot, and in order to
adapt the lance to these altered conditions it was cut down
to about five feet in length. Later in the Camail Period a
small circular plate was fixed upon the lance to protect the
hand, and this subsequently developed into the vamplate of
varied form and dimensions. At this time also the shaft of
the lance became much enlarged for tilting purposes, and
was made hollow, with longitudinal grooves upon the ex-
terior; in this form it spHntered in the encounter; when
the tilting had for its object the unhorsing of combatimts
the lance was made stronger and heavier. During the
reign of Elizabeth the lance ceased to hold the important
position it had hitherto maintained among weapons, and
became obsolete, but in later times it has been revived for
the use of cavalry.

The Sword. — The various parts of a sword should
perhaps be mentioned before proceeding to a chronological
description of the varieties. 'J'he two essential parts are

WEAPONS— EARLY AND MIDDLE AGES 888

the blade and the hilt. The prolongation of the blade
which fits into the handle is the tang; the upper portion
near the hilt the ricasso. The essential portions of the
hilt are the quillons, which cross at right angles between
the blade and the handle to protect the hand ; the grip,
which is self-explanatory, and
the pommel, the expanded piece
at the end of the grip.

Pre -Norman Period. — The
swords of this age generally in
use throughout Europe were of
the Scandinavian type, and may
be divided into three classes:

(1) those having the character
of a broadsword, with parallel
sharp edges and an acute point,
and the tang only for a grip;

(2) a similar variety having a
cross guard ; and (3) a sword
with the blade slightly curved, fig. 436.— Sword, c. 1340; blade

rr«v • n x» J 33 in. loner, 2 in. wide at hilt.

The grip was usually of wood (Wallace Collection.)

covered with skin, but some-
times of bone : the pommels were of varying shapes, as
round, triangular, trefoil, and quatrefoil. The cross-guards
began in a simple projection, but increased as time went
on; they, together with the pommel, were at times very
highly ornamented. The sheaths were usually of leather,
stiffened with a wood framing. As will be seen by
referring to the plates, the sword did not vary much in
form from the twelfth to the end of the fifteenth century
(Fig. 436). The blade was always two-edged, and about

884 ARMS AND ARMOUR

forty inches in length; the quillons at times drooped
towards the blade, but were generally straight; the grip
varied perhaps more than any other part, being at times
almost double handed, and at others — the later Tabard
Period, for instance — was so short and swollen as to appear
unserviceable. The shape of the pommel takes many
forms, varying almost with the individual taste of the
owner ; occasionally the pommel and other parts were
subjected to a high degree of ornamentation, witli precious
stones and inlaid work of all descriptions. During the
thirteenth century the curved sabre was used, but very
rarely ; it is shown in Fig. 154-, p. 125, a group from the
Painted Chamber. Other varieties were the falcliion,
cultellus, anelace, and scimitar.

The Falcliion was chiefly used by archers and men-at-
arms. It had a blade wide at the point ; the edge was
curved and convex, the back concave.

The Cult el Im was a short sword, and is not often men-
tioned or represented. It was designed especially for the
use of foot soldiers when rushing upon knights who had
been dismounted in a cavalry charge, or for the close
encounter of infantry against infantry.

T/ie Aiiclace was a long dagger which was secured
to the person by a chain. It is often represented upon
effigies and brasses of civilians in the fourteenth and
fifteenth centuries, and at times assumed very large pro-
portions. The handle is as a rule made in the fashion of
that of the cinquedea, from which it was probably de-
rived. The latter is a dagger or short sword which had
its origin in Italy ; the blade is generally of the width of
five fingers at the hilt (whence the name); the quillons

A. F. Calvert

Plate XXVIII

Sword of Philip II., with the Mark of Clement
Horn of Solingen

WEAPONS— EARLY AND MIDDLE AGES 335

always bend towards the blade, and the latter, which is
two-edged, averages from eighteen to twenty inches in
length. The representation given here is from a beautiful
specimen in the Wallace Collection dating from 1470
(Fig. 437), the blade of which is nearly four inches wide
and nineteen inches long ; the quillons are of
latten and the handle of ivory, studded with
filigree work.

The Scimitar became a favourite weapon
with the infantry during the greater part of
the Tabard Period, the blade being curved
at the back with a cusp at the point, which
distinguished it from the falchion. A finger-
guard was often added by prolonging one
side of the cross-piece, whereby it ran parallel
to the grip, and then either curved outwards
or, later in the period, turned inwards to join
the pommel.

In the Transition and Maximilian Periods
the sword underwent many changes, chiefly
in the hilt, which presented a bewildering variety of addi-
tional pieces, all intended for the protection of the hand
and the entanglement or breaking of the sword-blade of the
opponent. Four examples are given here from the Royal
Armoury at Madrid which exhibit these extra guards
(Plates XXVIII> and XXIX. =^). The old cross-piece did
not die out, but became bent in another form as a capital S ;
rings appeared on either side of the cross-piece and at right
angles to it; back-guards were introduced, and also the
basket-hilt. The quillons, by being curved as indicated
above, developed the knuckle-guard on one side of the grip

\i/

Fig. 437.

836 ARMS AND ARMOUR

which eventually reached the pommel, while the other,
circling towards the blade, developed counter-guards for
protecting the back of the hand. Thus the rapier-guard
was developed, the varieties and modifications of which
are almost numberless. The Wallace Collection contains
a matchless array of these beautiful weapons, the earliest
dating from 1540 : some of these have lavish ornamentation
bestowed upon them. Broadly speaking, cup-hilts were a
common form where long, straight, or curved quillons were
used in conjunction with a cup-shaped finger-guard at the
base of the blade, which was as a rule highly decorated.
The swept hilt had a broad back-guard which narrowed
towards the pommel, together with curved quillons. Upon
many swords of the sixteenth century and later curved
guards may be seen extending round the ricasso ; this is the
pas d'ane, while rings may also be observed for passing
the thumb through. The rapier blade was long, thin, and
tapering; it was essentially a thrusting sword, but not
exclusively so. These weapons were for parade and the
duel, a two-edged rapier of special design being used in
war. During the eighteenth century the general tend-
ency of the hilt was to become less complicated and to
develop the simple basket form.

The Txvo-Iianded Sword was an invention of the four-
teenth century, and formed one of the ordinary weapons
of the foot soldier. To wield it both hands were em-
ployed in making cutting sweeps, and consequently very
open order was necessary for troops thus armed ; at first
it did not find favour in England, except for use in the
lists, being chiefly carried at the saddle-bow by knights
as a reserve weapon in case of being dismounted, when

AVEAPONS— EARLY AND MIDDLE AGES 887

they trusted to its use against foot soldiers.
In Scotland, however, it appears to have
been in great favour, and its practice much
resorted to. An excellent example and of
an early date (c. 1490) is preserved in the
Banqueting Hall of Edinburgh Castle,
which is remarkable for its exceptional
length, being exactly six feet, — four feet
three inches in the blade, and the handle
twenty-one inches (Plate XXVII.). The
^rip is of the usual character and the pom-
mel is small; the quillons droop slightly
towards the blade and terminate in two
spirals, small engaging-guards being fur-
nished on both sides. There is a strong
ricasso of oblong section giving great
strength to the blade, and the usual two
lateral projections of rather large propor-
tions. During the Maximilian Period it
was a favourite weapon in England, and
its value for the defence of a narrow pass,
and against stormers at a beleaguered town,
was fully recognised. The Scottish clay-
more is really the two-handed sword, and
the application of the name to the basket-
hilted broadsword of the eighteenth cen-
tury is a mistake. The two-handed sword
with waved blade is called a flamberge
(Fig. 438); the example is from the
Wallace Collection (date about 1630) ; ^^^- ^^s^-^^^m^^^^^^
the blade measures fifty inches and the Collection.)

338

ARMS AND ARMOUR

handle over twelve. A ring-guard is furnished on either
side of the quillons; there are the two usual projections
from the ricasso, which is covered hi leather. An earlier
example, c. 1530, has a grip of no less than twenty-two
inches; the blade is fifty inches long, and it has ring-
guards and diagonally curved quillons
(Fig. 428). The ricasso is covered with
leather, as in the former example.

The Hand-and-half, or Bastard
Sword, illustrated in Fig. 439, dates
from 1490, and may be claimed as
belonging to the two-handed variet}'.
It came into vogue in England dur-
ing the Camail and .Tupon Period, but
was used much earher in Germany;
the blade is forty inches long, but
in some examples it is nearly fifty.
It could be wielded with one hand,
but to give extra effect to a blow,
if desired, the left hand could be
brought into action near the pom-
mel, where the grip is smaller. This type of sword was
in use during the whole of the fifteenth century.

The Dagger, — This weapon has been described where
necessary in preceding chapters up to and including the
Camail and Jupon Period, when the misericorde with its
triangular blade was so much in evidence. In the reign of
Richard II. the wearing of a dagger of some kind was
universal, even the ladies having a small baselard attached
to their girdles. Shortly afterwards a long poniard of
Continental origin superseded the previous weapon, which.

Flo. 439.— Hand - and - half
sword, 1490. (Wallace Col-
lection.)

A. F. Calvert

PLATE XXIX*

1. Sword of Hernando Cortes.

2. Sword of Philip II.

3. Sword of Gonsalvo de Cordoba, late Fifteenth Century.

WEAPON S-^EARLY AND MIDDLE AGES 339

like the sword, had a thumb-guard attached in the form
of a ring. The cinquedea, which may be looked upon as a
dagger, has been dealt with on p. 334. An example of the
military dagger of the fourteenth century is in the Wallace
Collection, dating from 1440, with a fifteen-inch blade, and
is of the greatest rarity, although illustrations in missals,
dec, are numerous. A specimen of the " Kidney " dagger,
so called from the shape of the base of the grip, is also
preserved there, dating from 1480 ; it was in common use
in England until the time of Charles I.
■ The main-gauche, or left-handed dagger, was of Conti-
nental origin, and enjoyed an immense popularity in England
during the sixteenth century. It was held in the left hand
to ward off blows and entangle the point of the adversary's
weapon, while the long rapier was being used in the right
hand.

CHAPTER XVII

PROJECTILE-THROWING ENGINES

No evidence is extant respecting the inventor of the first
machine for missile throwing, but we know that they have
existed from the earliest ages, and have been used by all the
great nations of antiquity. Under the Greeks and Romans,
but especially the former, they attained a remarkable degree
of excellence, and many accounts of their extraordinary
efficiency have come down to us. The Romans took their
ideas from the Greeks as a basis to work upon ; among their
best authorities Vitruvius may be classed. The principles
involved in these engines were not altogether lost, but
descended to the medieval ages, and probably during that
period more elaborate, powerful, and gigantic machines
were constructed than at any previous time.

The complicated methods by which a fortress was cap-
tured or a town carried during the Middle Ages are not
generally known, and the means adopted at the present
'time are as a general rule credited with being the outcome
of the skill and science of the past few centuries. This,
however, will not bear the test of investigation, for we find
that almost every device has had its prototype in past ages,
and nearly every idea has been forestalled. It comes almost
with a shock to some, and produces feelings of incredulity,
to be told that huge missiles vicing in destructive effect
with the modem shell, and as a rule many times larger,

340

c^^iCf

ul. F. Calvert

PLATE XXX*
Armour of Charles V., from Augsburg or Nuremberg

PROJECTILE-THROWING ENGINES 341

were sent with unerring aim into the lieart of a besieged
town, levelling houses to the ground and dealing destruc-
tion far and wide. The idea of a siege in mediaeval times
is generally that of a tree to batter down a door, archers to
shoot down the defenders on the walls, desperate charges of
cavalry against sallies of the garrison, and forlorn hopes of
men carrying scaling-ladders with which to surmount the
walls. These are, however, only a few concomitants of
the complicated methods by which a siege was accomplished.
The Greeks and Romans constructed their engines
upon the principle of the bow, whereas the mediaeval
engineers adopted that of the sling. The latter was by far
the more clumsy of the two, but probably just as effective.
Had the methods by which the Greeks were enabled to
construct their splendid engines been handed down, the
possibility is that mediaeval machines would have been far
less cumbersome and much smaller. Probably the greatest
living authority upon projectile -throwing machines is Sir
Ralph Payne- Gall wey, Bart., who has constructed models
of ancient and mediaeval machines with most successful
results. He says, "My engines are by no means perfect
in their mechanism, and are always liable to give way
under the strain of working. One reason of this is that
all modern engines of the kind require to be worked to
their utmost capacity, Le, to the verge of their breaking-
point, to obtain from them results that at all equal those
of their prototypes. The ancient engines did their work
easily and well within their strength. Although my largest
catapult will throw a stone to a great distance it cannot
throw one of nearly the weight it should be able to do,
considering the size of its frame, skein of cord, and

842 ARMS AND ARMOUR

mechanism. In this respect it is decidedly inferior to the
ancient engine."^ The author of the above has, however,
been able to construct a catapult which throws a stone of
8 lbs. to a distance of between four hundred and fifty and
five hundred yards.

The Catapult, — The " Tormentum " of the Romans was
a generic name for military engines, and so named from the
twisting of the hair, thongs, sinews, &c., of which the pro-
pelling mechanism was made. ^Vhat were the exact
materials used, and in what proportions, is entirely un-
known, and probably the knowledge did not extend beyond
a century or so after the fall of the empire. There can
be no doubt but that the sinews of animals played an
important part in the construction of the skein. The
method of making the catapult was as follows, omitting
unnecessary details. A quadrangular wooden frame of
great strength was fitted near one end wnth tlie skein,
which was made in the form of a circle and of very con-
siderable thickness, the rubber tyre of a large motor-car
wheel approximating both in size and shape. This was
folded into two parallel straight lines and passed through
holes in the frame on either side, where a simple mecha-
nism grasped it which could revolve the ends, cogs pre-
venting them from turning in any direction but that
desired. Between the parallel parts of the skein the end
of the arm was placed, and by twisting the ends of the
skein the arm was made to press with considerable force
against a horizontal beam supported by uprights at the
two sides. The arm was provided with a hollow in the

' From '* Projectile-throwing Engines of the AncientH," by Sir Ralph Payne-
Gallwey, Bart, by kind permiAHion of the author, to whose work I am indebted
for seveml particulart in this chapter.

PROJECTILE-THROWING ENGINES 843

upper part for holding the stone. If now the arm were
drawn back by means of levers, ropes, and pulleys, the
distortion upon the skein was increased enormously, and
if when loaded with a projectile the arm were released, it
sprang back against the beam with great velocity and
force, throwing the stone to a distance during the action.
This propulsive force was considerably augmented in some
machines by the addition of a sling to the end of the arm,
which practically lengthened the arm and consequently
hurled the projectile to a greater distance. Ancient writers

Fig. 440.— Principle of the balista.

assert that the range was sometimes as much as from seven
hundred to eight hundred yards.

The Balista, — This machine was used by the Romans
for discharging the Falarica or ponderous spear, which had
an iron head of over a foot in length at one end, with a
ball of lead at the other end, and was at times used to carry
incendiary material. It was projected upon the same
principle as the- stone in the catapult, namely by means
of twisted skeins, but in the case of the balista two were
in use. They were fitted vertically in a frame open to the
front: an arm was passed through each skein, and when
the skeins were twisted, the arms sought to diverge from
one another. A rope acted like the string of a bow, and

844 ARMS AND ARMOUR

was wound back by a suitable apparatus, thus tending to
draw the arms to a parallel position; upon its release the
falarica was propelled in exactly tlie same manner as an
arrow is discharged. It rested in a directing hollow trougli
until the trigger was pulled. These heavy missiles travelled
at times to a distance of between three hundred and four
hundred yards and it will thus be seen that practically the
two ends of a bow are used for the propulsive force. The
balista could also be used for discharging stones if required
by a simple alteration of the bow-string, and the addition
of another trough for directing the missile.

The IVebuclieL — The Trebuchet was a mediaeval
weapon derived from the classical engines of previous
ages, but depending entirely upon the principle of the
sling in contradistinction to that of torsion. It was a
gigantic arm of wood, lengthened considerably by a sling ;
the arm was pivoted near one end remote from the sling,
and this beam being actuated by the fall of an extremely
heavy weight caused it to describe the quarter of a
circle and discharge the missile. It superseded the cata-
pult, chiefly for the reason that the making of the skeins
of the latter had become a lost art, and also that a trebuchet
could be quickly constructed on the spot required with
materials generally found ready to hand, whereas the catapult
necessarily \^2A to be transported. Consequently trebuchets
were invariably dismantled after a siege and not carried
from place to place, the ponderous nature of the machine
presenting an obstacle to such a course. There is no doubt
that the addition of the sling was an idea obtained from
the East at a very early date, as a MS. of the thirteenth
century contains a representation showing it. In Add.

PROJECTILE-THROWING ENGINES 345

MS. 10,292, British Museum, a trebuchet is shown in
use against a castle which is being attacked by knights of
the Ailette Period clad in banded mail. This shows the
sling affixed to the arm, but no comparison of size is
possible, as the machine is shown smaller than a horse, and
the horse is nearly the size of the castle. In Roy. MS.
16, G. VI., dating from c. 1330, two trebuchets are
shown in action against a castle. They are much out of
drawing, as the arm bearing the counterpoise of one is
actually shown longer than the arm bearing the sling,
whereas it was probably only a small fraction of the length.
Hewitt quotes from a work written by Gilles Colonne
(d. 1316) for his pupil, Philip the Fair of France, in
which he says, " Of perriers (a general name for stone-
projecting machines) there are four kinds, and in all these
machines there is a beam which is raised and lowered by
means of a counterpoise, a sling being attached to the end
of the beam to discharge the stone. Sometimes the
counterpoise is not sufficient, and then they attach ropes
to it in order to move the beam. The counterpoise may
either be fixed or movable, or both at once. In the fixed
counterpoise a box is fastened to the end of the beam,
and filled with stones or sand or any heavy body. These
machines cast their missiles with most exactness, because
the weight acts in a uniform manner. Their aim is so
sure that one may, so to say, hit a needle. If the gyn
carries too far it may be drawn back or loaded with a
heavier stone; if the contrary, then it must be advanced
or a smaller stone supplied. Others of these machines
have a movable counterpoise attached to the beam, turning
upon an axis. The third kind has two weights, one fixed

846 ARMS AND ARMOUR

to the beam and the other movable round it; by this
means it throws with more exactness. The fourth sort,
in lieu of weights attached to the beam, has a number
of ropes, and is discharged by a number of men pulling
simultaneously at the cords. This last kind does not cast
such large stones as the others, but it has the advantage
that it may be more rapidly loaded and discharged than
they. In using the perriei*s by night it is necessary to
attach a lighted body to the projectile; by this means
one may discover the force of the machine and regulate
the weights of the stone accordingly." This very valuable
description of four varieties of the trebuchet at such an
early date gives us an idea of the state of perfection to
which they had then arrived, and from other sources may
be obtained particulars relating to the size and weight of
the missiles employed. They were not always of stone,
but barrels of Greek fire, pitch, naphtha, and other inflam-
mable substance were used ; also occasionally the bodies
of dead horses and other animals, often in a state of decom-
position, barrels of offensive or putrid matter, and other
missiles of a similar nature designed to cause pestilence, were
throw^n into towns or fortresses when the defence was obsti-
nately prolonged. In the account left to us by Guillaume
des Ormes of Carcassone in 1240, we read: "Afterwards
they set up a mangonel before our barbican, when we lost
no time in opposing to it from within an excellent Turkish
petrary, which played upon the mangonel and those about
it; so that, when they essayed to cast upon us, and saw
the beam of our petrary in motion, they fled, utterly aban-
doning their mangonel. And in that place they made
ditches and palisades, yet as often as we discharged our

A. F. Calcert

PLATE XXXI*
Burgundy Cross Armour of Philip II.

PROJECTILE-THROWING ENGINES 847

petrary we drove them from it." At the siege of Bed-
ford Castle in 1224, the garrison of which were followers
of Faukes de Breaut^, a leader of mercenaries in the time
of King John, seven mangonels were in use in the be-
sieging force. Matthew Paris mentions the terrible effects
of the trebuchets in 1246 at the siege of the castle of
Cappacio, when seven well-ordered machines discharged
day and night such an uninterrupted storm of missiles
upon the ill-fated fortress that it was battered into a help-
less condition, and had perforce to surrender. He also
states that in 1253 the Gascons hurled stones and darts
of such wonderful size that many of them were carried
into England to be exhibited as curiosities. In the de-
fence of castles the garrison naturally set up missile-throw-
ing . weapons, and these were as a rule built upon the
ground within the encircling walls, and threw their pro-
jectiles high in the air over the battlements into the
enemy's camp. Smaller ones were also built upon the
walls and towers. Where large towns were besieged
it was no unusual thing to have from one to three
hundred projectile-throwing engines in action. The man-
gonel, petrary, mangonella, biblia, and many other names
used by mediaeval writers, all refer to the trebuchet and
its many modifications.

Various machines were invented during the Middle Ages,
in which the principle of propulsion was the steel bow
mounted upon a frame partaking of the nature of the arba-
lest. These bows were at times of considerable size, and
threw javelins, spears, and weapons of a similar nature.
Being mounted upon wheels, they served all the purposes
fulfilled by modern field artillery. In the same category

848 ARMS AND ARMOUR

may be mentioned one which threw one or two stones
at a single discharge: it consisted of a vertical spring
of steel which was pulled backwards by ropes and pulleys,
and upon being released threw one missile from a sling
attached to its extremity and another from a cup fixed to
the steel.

A. F. Calvert

PLATE XXXII*

Gauntlets of Charles V.

CHAPTER XVIII

GERMAN, ITALIAN, AND OTHER INFLUENCES UrON
EUROPEAN ARMOUR

It may come somewhat in the nature of a shock to the

i elf-complacency of the average Englishman to learn that
n the great stores of armour in the public and private
ollections of Great Britain and Ireland only an infinitesimal
portion is of English origin, and also that England was
lever celebrated in any age for the output of reliable
uits. The excellent quality of English steel is, at the
present time, accepted throughout the world, while the
care and finish bestowed upon articles fabricated from it
is proverbial, and in marked contrast to that of many other
nations. This fact is so well known that the average
inhabitant of our isles unconsciously places armour in
the same category, and believes as a matter of course
that it was pre-eminent in the Middle Ages. But the
superiority of British iron is a matter of the last two or
three centuries, and only sprang into existence when armour
was becoming obsolete, whereas upon the Continent the
manufacture in isome places dates back almost to remote
antiquity. This is especially the case with regard to
Germany, whence has emanated the great majority of the
armour seen in our museums. If we take the Wallace
Collection, for instance, we find that sixteen cap-k-pie suits
are contained in it, of which thirteen are German, two

349

850 ARMS AND ARMOUR

Italian, and one English. Of this number the eight earliest,
dating from 1460 to 1560, are of German manufacture. Of
the tliree three-quarter suits dating from 1520 to 1540 the
whole are German, while of the nine half-suits only one
is Italian, the remainder coming from Germany A similar
comparison taken in other museums would probably give
a like result. If, however, a collection has no suits of
armour previous to the year 1605, a probability exists that
English armour might occupy the second if not the first
place, inasmuch as the half and three-quarter suits in use
during the Civil Wars were largely made in England. It
must not be supposed, however, that the English armourers
of the Middle Ages were incapable of manufacturing defen-
sive or offensive equipments, for it is almost certain that
the greater part used from the time of the War of the
Barons to the Wars of the Roses was fabricated at home,
always excepting that worn by royalty and the most
prominent nobles. English armour was, however, heavy
and cumbrous, the inferior quality of the metal necessi-
tating great thickness in order to secure efficiency ; conse-
quently those who could afford it procured the foreign
article, where the superior temper gave a minimum of
weight with the same or even better protection. It may
be compared to the modern Harveyised steel plate for
battleships, of six or eight inches in thickness, which affords
greater security than the eighteen inches of iron formerly
in use. A large amount of foreign armour has found its
way into our country owing to the law of tournaments,
whereby the equipment of the vanquished became the
lawful spoil of the victor ; while the prolonged wars waged
upon the Continent by English armies — invariably with

INFLUENCES UPON ARMOUR

351

some degree of success — must have furnished both the
knight and the common soldier with means of defence
superior to that of home manufacture.

It is curious to note how in the early part of the
Middle Ages the same general outline of military equipment
prevailed over the civil
ised portion of the con-
tinent of Europe, and
this is exemplified in
Fig. 441, taken from
Add. MS. 11,695, a
Spanish parchment of
the eleventh century.
If the warriors deline-
ated in it are compared
with those represented
upon the Bayeux Tapes-
try, the only essential
differences to be dis-
covered are the excessive
lengths of the hauberk
and gambeson, and also
the circular shield. The
trilobed pommels of the
swords and the cross
guards of the lances suggest a Scandinavian origin, but
the hauberk, nasal helmet, and leg defences are almost
exact counterparts of the Norman equipment. Again, in
Fig. 442, which represents a continental warrior of the year
1100, the general appearance is similar to our own knights
of the Chain Mail Period, if we except the peculiar helmet

Fig. 441. — Spanish soldiers, eleventh century.
(Add. MS. 11,695.)

852

ARMS AND ARMOUR

and the deep indentations in the skirt of the surcoat The
coif-de-mailles, hauberk, chausses, shield, and sword are
almost precisely the same. In the year 1330
the continental equipment was the same in
its broad character as in England, which
may be seen from Fig. 448, taken from
Add. MS. 12,228 in the British Museum,
where the only differences are the trefoil
coudiere and the laminated brassarts, which
were not general in our country, although
isolated instances occur of both. During
the Camail and Jupon Period the plate
armour was precisely similar all over the
Continent, the only variations being in the
shape of the jupon, which was sleeveless
Flo. 442.— conti- in England, but was often provided with

nental warrior. . , a j '^i n

(From a foreign baggy slccvcs Ornamented witli rows ot

MS., e. 1100.) buttons in other countries,
chiefly Spain and Italy, while tight sleeves
were worn in Germany. The frequent
intercourse between the Continent and
ourselves in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries led to the free introduction of
foreign supplies, and English armour lost
what little insular character it formerly
possessed.

It may be stated as a general fact that
no authentic suits anterior to the year FiQ.443.-Frcnchknigi>-
1400 are in existence, although many c 1330.

separate pieces are preserved which were made before that
year, chiefly helmets, mail, gauntlets, and a few pieces of

A. F. Calvert

PLATE XXXIII*
Armour of Charles V., made by Colman

INFLUENCES UPON ARMOUR 858

plate. The same may be said of the armour prevaiUng
from 1400 to 1440, though larger and more numerous
portions of it exist, but of the Gothic armour which came
into being after that date a number of complete suits are
extant. Germany was almost the sole maker of this descrip-
tion of defence, and not only are the majority of suits of
this period of German make, but Germany itself has for
long been the happy hunting-ground of collectors, and was
at one time deemed almost inexhaustible. There are many
German armourers whose names have been handed down
upon the roll of fame, but the most honoured bore the
name of Colman. This family had settled in Augsburg in
the latter part of the fourteenth century, and gi*adually
established a reputation ; the most famous and best known
being Lorenz Colman, who began work in 1467. He was
patronised by Maximilian, King of the Romans, a few years
later, and appointed Court Armourer in 1 490. In conjunction
with the emperor there can be no doubt that the Maximilian
style was evolved in the first decade of the sixteenth
century. Lorenz died in 1516, and an example of his work-
manship dating from 1515 may be seen in a cap-k-pie suit
in the Wallace Collection. His successor, Koloman Col-
man, surnamed Helmschmied, produced many wonderful
examples of skilled workmanship, such as are exemplified in
his suits constructed for the Emperor Charles V. (Plate
XXXIII. ^''), and preserved in the Royal Armoury at Madrid.^

^ The Royal Armoury at Madrid is undoubtedly the finest collection of its kind
in the world. It was founded by King Charles V., 1516-1668, and in addition to
Spanish armour and arms contains magnificent examples of the works of the
greatest armourers of Europe. By the kindness and courtesy of Mr. Albert F.
Calvert, author of " Spanish Arms and Armour, being a Historical and Descriptive
Account of the Royal Armoury at Madrid," we are enabled to produce illustra-
tions of many of the exhibits from photographs supplied by him. ITiese illus-
trations are distinguished by an asterisk (Plate I.*, &c.).

854

ARMS AND ARMOUR

In Plate XXX.*, the large tilting-piece, comprising grande
garde, volante piece, and pauldron in one defence, is remark-
able, while the pair of gauntlets belonging to the same
monarch and illustrated in Plate XXXII.*, are admittedly
the most superb examples in existence. The magnificent
flutes, together with the delicate enrichments of the gad-
lings, have probably never been equalled. The style of orna-
mentation agrees exactly with
that of Colman Helmschmied.
The equestrian suit shown
in Plate XXX.*, p. 840, is
of Augsburg or Nuremberg
make, and is also of the time
of Charles V. It is of con-
siderable interest in exhibiting
the various kinds of extra
defences such as the grande
garde, garde-de-bras, and manifere, the last differing from the
Wallace specimen in having separate fingers. The subject
of horse armour, or bardings, has not been treated in tliis
work owing to the exigencies of space; it is a matter oi
considerable interest, and the horse shown in this plate
exhibits it in very nearly its highest development. The
error is very prevalent that horse defences were of com-
paratively late introduction {Le, of the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries) ; the accompanying Fig. 444 from Roy. MS. 20,
c. 7, temp. Henry IV. or earlier, shows defence of a very high
order, inasmuch as the chanfron covers the whole of the head,
and the crinet, of lames of plate, encircles the neck completely.
In England horse-armour originated in the twelfth century.
Plate XXXIV.*, exemphfies the wealth of elaborate decora-

FlG. 444. — Complete plate : head and
neck, c. 1400. (Roy. MS. , 20, c. 7.)

A. F. CalveH

PLATE XXXIV

1. Moorish Chanfron.

2. Chanfron and Mainfaire, Sixteenth Century.

3. Chanfron, with Imperial Arms.

INFLUENCES UPON ARMOUR 855

tion bestowed upon horse furniture in the sixteenth century ;
the chanfron in the centre has been worked into the sem-
blance of a dragon with which the mainfaire is in harmony.
The chanfron on the left is of Moorish workmanship.

During the fourteenth century the Italian armourers
had been making steady progress towards fame, and in no
city more so than Milan, where, towards the end of the
century, armourers came to the front whose names are
famous. A Milanese salade, c. 1480, is represented in Plate
VII.*, p. 60, and was produced by one of the Negroli family,
who made their home in the city. The salade is cast in
one piece, except the visor, and the ornamentation is a pleas-
ing combination of the Italian and Oriental styles. The
delicacy, vigour, and force of its execution may readily be
perceived upon inspection of the illustration. Another
example of the work of the Negrolis is given in Plate
X.*, p. 80, which represents a three-quarter suit made for
Charles V. The Milanese were among the first to feel and
acknowledge the influence of the Renaissance in their
work, and the decorations upon the pauldrons, coudieres,
&c., of this suit exemplifies it.

Among the armourers who were entrusted with work
for King Philip II. of Spain, the successor of Charles V.,
were the Wolf family of Landshut, and an example of
their skill is shown in Plate XXXI.*, p. 346, upon the suit
known as the Burgundy Cross armour. It was made in
1551 by Sigmund Wolf, and is richly decorated with bands
of the natural colour of the steel, on which are etched
alternately the Cross of Burgundy (the St. Andrew's Cross),
and the emblems of the Golden Fleece, all gilded. The
high pike-guard upon the right shoulder is a structural

856 ARMS AND ARMOUR

feature of this suit. An example of German armour dating
from 1549, when Phihp was heir-apparent (Plate XXI .*,
p. 286), is an excellent example of the Decorative Period
of the sixteenth century ; it shows a mitten gauntlet upon
the left hand, and unequal tassets. An earlier suit, made
by Desiderius Colman in 1545, is adapted for jousting on
foot, and has lamboys or bases (Plate XII*, p. 128). The
espalier pauldrons and roundels, the peascod breastplate,
and the lames of plate over the knee in the cuisses, are
features of the suit. Wolf of Landshut in 1554 made a
suit for Philip II. (Plate XV.*, p. 146), for the Cber die
Pallia, or Welsches Gestech Course, which exhibits the
manteau d'armes affixed and a small reinforcing piece
attached to the right espalier, forming a pike-guard. To
this suit a forbidden or locking gauntlet for the right hand
is attached. The tassets are of unequal length. A helmet
supplied at the same time as the above suit is a veritable
triumph of the armourer's craft (Plate XVI.*, p. 1G6). The
details may readily be seen in the illustration, and the volante
piece, fixed to the helmet by a strap round the gorget, and
so moving with it, is of special interest. Sigismund Wolf
in 1550 made a suit for Philip which is represented in Plate
XIII.*, p. 132. " Many of the extra pieces for this suit are
now at Brussels. The ornamentation is chaste, consisting
of narrow bands, etched with graceful scrolls and volutes
on white burnished steel.'*

The year 1554, which saw the production of some of
the above suits, probably witnessed the delivery of another
to King Sebastian of Portugal, which is preserved in the
Royal Armoury at Madrid, and is perliaps the most mag-
nificent in the whole collection. The details of the back-

A. F. Calvert

PLATE XXXV*
Milanese Armour of King Philip IV.

INFLUENCES UPON ARMOUR 357

plate, pauldrons, and arm defences are shown in Plate XX.*,
p. 232. It is the work of Anton Pfeffenhauser of Augs-
burg, and undoubtedly his masterpiece; as an example of
repousse work it places him upon an equality with the best
German masters of his time. " Mythological figures are
embossed upon the bands traversing the backplate ; designs
symbolical of Power, Victory, Peace, and Navigation are
represented on the pauldrons, back and front, while the
coudieres display the four figures of the cardinal virtues."
It is essentially a pageant suit, as is also the one presented
to Philip III., when prince, at the age of seven. It is a
half-suit of Italian workmanship, formed in gilded iron and
decorated with figures, masks, &c., all embossed and dama-
scened (Plate XVIII.*, p. 196). Another, presented to the
same monarch in his childhood, is represented in Plate XIX.*,
p. 212, and is believed to be the work of Lucio Picinino of
Milan. The decoration is less profuse but quite as beautiful
as in the preceding example. A piece of Spanish armour
made at Pamplona in Navarre in 1620 is shown in Plate
XXII.^, p. 240. Mr. Calvert states : " It is of steel-plated
iron and of extraordinary thickness. ... A curious feature
is the seven indentations made by the bullets of an arquebus,
and each set with silver pearls. These marks do not say
much for the quality of the metal, which is 10 millimetres
thick. The backplate, which is only 3 millimetres thick,
has been perforated by a bullet. The arms are defended
by espaliers reaching to the elbow, where they meet the
cuffs of the gauntlets."

Plate XXI.=*, p. 236, is a suit of Milanese make, early
seventeenth century, intended for war purposes, and abso-
lutely devoid of ornamentation. An example of Flemish

858 ARMS AND ARMOUR

armour of 1624 is represented in Plate XXIII.*, p. 268 ; it
was sent by the Infanta Isabel Clara Eugenia to Philip IV,
The ugliness of the breastplate and the huge rivet-heads upon
the pauldrons are strongly suggestive of the "boilerplate"
armour prevailing in England at the same period. Plate
XXXV.* is a suit presented by the Cardinal Infante
Ferdinand to Philip IV., and exhibits the lames of plate
inserted in the gousset of the coudi^re, similar to the Henry

VIII. foot armour in the Tower.

It is of Milanese make, and

decorated with vertical bands of

medal-lions, &c.

A second example of armour

of Spanish make is given in

Fig. 445.-Globose breastplate (Bur- pi^te XXXVI.* ; it WaS fabri-

gundian). (Tower of London.)

cated at Pamplona for the Duke
of Savoy in 1620, and is decidedly an improvement upon the
suit shown in Plate XIX.*, p. 212, which came from the
same locality. It is worthy of remark that Spain, with all its
vast resources of the finest iron ores in the world, did not
become a centre for arms and armour. She was undoubtedly
able to supply her own requirements, and in the wars
against the Moors these were of no mean order, but no
distinct Spanish "School" was evolved similar to the
German or Italian. The excellent quality of her swords
attained world-wide reputation, and the blades of Toledo,
Bilbao, and Seville are justly famous. No town in France
achieved special success in armour or arms, although many
were active in the production. Burgundy was chiefly noted
for its eccentricities, the breastplate illustrated in Fig. 445
furnishing an example, though many inventions, such as

A. F. Calvert

PLATE XXXVI*

Armour of Duke of Savoy, 1620. Made at Pamplona

INFLUENCES UPON ARMOUR 359

the burgonet, emanated from that warHke district, while
its hand-gun men of the fifteenth century were the best
in the world. Holland and Belgium have always enjoyed a
reputation for arms, and Netherlandish weapons and de-
fences were in great demand. The overwhelming superiority
of Italian products must not be ascribed solely to one
town, Milan, for many others were famous, such as Pisa,
Verona, Lucca, Mantua, and Brescia, while Florence became
a serious rival to Milan in the latter part of the sixteenth
century. In Germany, Augsburg and Nuremberg probably
were the most renowned for armour, but Cologne bore
pre-eminence for weapons.

CHAPTER XIX

THE INTRODUCTION OF GUNPOWDER AND ITS
INFLUENCE UPON ARMOUR

HE invention of gunpowder and its use in propelling
missiles from tubes was the signal for the aboUtion of
armour, as we have indicated, though the struggle for
supremacy betweep the two lasted for considerably more
than a century/y [Fhe Eastern nations are generally credited
with the discovery of the properties of a mixture of salt-
petre, carbon, and sulphur so far as their use in fireworks is
concerned, but it was undoubtedly to the Western nations
that the knowledge and application of the propelling nature
of the mixture were due.T The first authentic account of
its use for military purposes must be ascribed to the seventh
century, when, under the name of Greek fire, it was used at
the defence of Constantinople by the Byzantine emperors
against the invading Saracens. The true Greek fire, how-
ever, is supposed to have contained more ingredients than
the three which constitute gunpowder proper, viz. resin and
naphtha, the latter being in excess, and this mixture appears
to have been so inflammable and so difficult to extinguish
that the terror excited by its use was out of all proportion
to the destruction that it wrought. It was propelled from
balistae, projected from tubes, and carried by means of
arrows which bore tow steeped in the composition, while its
use in a besieged town to pour down upon assailants was

^^^^^^.j^^SKSK^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^SM^W^^^K^

J. i^. Ca/rere

PLATE XXXVII*

Double Breech-loading Cannon, in Bronze, used in Spain from the end
of the Fifteenth Century

THE INTRODUCTION OF GUNPOWDER 361

probably the most efficacious. ^ Its composition was for a
long time kept secret, but the knowledge gradually spread,
and during the later mediaeval periodjits use was not un-
known in England (Fig. 837). Gunpowder proper was used
for the first time in the Spanish wars with the Moors in
the twelfth century by both combatants; and the secret
of its composition was discovered by Roger Bacon in the
thirteenth century, probably from the translation of manu-
scripts. Schwartz, a German Frank, perfected it about a
century later, and its first use in England occurred in the
wars against the Scots by Edward III. in 1327, when the
cannon were denominated " crakeys," a diminutive from
" crake," the first name of the composition, which may be
a corruption of "grec." At the siege of Cambrai in 1339
cannon were in use, and they are specifically mentioned by
Froissart. After that time their use became general, and
in 1346 many were in operation at the battle of Cre9y,
the gunpowder being imported from abroad until the reign
of Elizabeth, when English powder-mills were established
in the country. The word artillery had been in use to
denote projectile-throwing weapons anterior to the use of
gunpowder, and became eventually the term by which the
larger kind of firearms was designated. The construction
of the first cannon was, as might be inferred, of the rudest
possible description. KPieces or bars of iron were arranged
longitudinally so as to form a rough tube, around which
iron hoops were placed to hold them togethei;^jDThe powder
and ball were in a separate case, open at one end to allow
of the exit of the ball ; this case was inserted in one end
of the tube and secured by a stirrup arrangement pivoting
upon two projections on either side of the tube, which

862 ARMS AND ARMOUR

fell over the open end and prevented the case from being
blown out when the discharge occurred. The powder was
fired by the insertion of a red-hot wire. The cannon was
fixed down to a piece of timber which rested upon a similar
piece : at the breech end of the cannon the two planks were
hinged together, and by the insertion of wedges in the
front between the timbers the piece could be elevated.
Other contrivances almost as crude as that described were
introduced in order to overcome the difficulties of taking
aim. UThe projectiles were at first made of stone, and subse-
quently of lead or iron, or stone coated with lead/J It must
not be supposed that the introduction of such weapons
created the profound consternation which a few contemporary
writers have led us to suppose ; the general impression pro-
duced was, in fact, one of contemptuous indifference, and
K it was only after many improvements had been effected that
cannon began to be taken seriously. (^The earliest were
only used in sieges, as the transport of such cumbrous pieces
was nearly an impossibility, and when they were subse-
quently adopted for use in the field it was but seldom they
were used after the first discharger^ During the fifteenth
century fresh developments took place ; trunnions were
invented, whereby the recoil was transferred directly to the
carriage ; the weapon was cast in one piece which tapered
towards the muzzle, and many improvements in loading and
discharging were made. Bombards were introduced, being
short pieces with a large bore which were fired at a consider-
able elevation and discharged balls of stone to a small dis-
tance ; they were the prototypes of our modern mortars and
howitzers. One of the earliest examples of mediaeval
ordnance preserved in this country may be seen at the

THE INTRODUCTION OF GUNPOWDER 363

Rotunda, Woolwich (Plate XL., p. 866). It is known as the
Crecy Bombard, and may possibly date back to the time of
Edward III. It is said to have been found in the moat
of Bodiham Castle, Sussex, and is known to have been
in Battle Abbey for many years. Its interior is of cast
iron, one of the earliest known specimens of the metal in
that form, and iron hoops have been shrunk upon this
inner core. The chamber in the smaller portion of the
breech will hold about three or four pounds of powder;
the stone shot discharged weighed about a hundred and
sixty pounds and was fifteen inches in diameter. The
carriage is modern. The cannonier wears a capacious
salade and is defended by a hauberk of mail and a thick
leather apron ; he is discharging the bombard with a hot
iron and protects his face with his hand from the inferior
powder blown off the touchhole by the explosion.

L^Very large cannon were in use at times. Mons Meg at
Edinburgh is an example of a fifteenth century production ;
it weighs nearly four tons, has a calibre of 20 inches, and
threw a stone projectile of 300 Ibs.l The powder-chamber
is considerably smaller in bore than the cannon, in order
to withstand the force of the discharge. This piece is
reputed to have been made in 1455 for the siege of
Thrieve Castle by James II.; this latter monarch was
killed five years later by the bursting of a similar
cannon, the Lion. Another example is preserved at
Ghent, where a foundry existed for their manufacture:
the piece has a calibre of 26 inches, while English guns
are to be seen at Mont St. Michael of 15 inches and 19
inches bore respectively. A remarkable example of fifteenth
century monster ordnance is the Dardanelles bronze gun

S6^ ARMS AND ARMOUR

preserved at the Rotunda, Woolwich, and illustrated in
Plate XXXVIII.). It was cast during the reign of Sultan
Mahomed II., a.d. 1468, and presented to Queen Victoria
by the Sultan of Turkey in 1867. It weighs 18 tons

14 cwt., the calibre is 25 inches, and the total length equals
17 feet It is made in two parts, which are screwed to-
gether, and the breech portion which forms the powder
chamber has a bore of only ten inches. The stone shot
weighed 6 cwt. each. The names applied to ancient
ordnance were many and various, and at the same time
confusing, inasmuch as the calibre of the various pieces was
constantly changing. The following is an approximate
list of some of the pieces ordinarily in use : —

Cannon Royal, weight of shot, 66 lbs. ; Carthorun,
48 lbs. ; Cannon, 34 lbs. ; Bastard Cannon ; Great Culverin,

15 lbs. ; Bastard Culverin, 7 lbs. ; Demi-Culverin, 2 lbs. ;
Basilisk, Serpentin, Aspik, Dragon, Syren. For field
se^ice : Falcon, 1 lb. ; Falconet, 14 ozs. ; Saker.

L Cannon have been made of various materials apart from
iron and bronze, such as wood, paper, and rope, the out-
side covering being of leather. All the early guns used
in England were obtained from abroad; the first foundry
in England was that of Hugget of Uckfield, Sussex, in
1521, who cast cannon in brass and iron, using the Sussex
iron smelted with charcoal. There are some pieces of
ordnance preserved in the Rotunda at Woolwich which
are of this age, and may possibly have come from the
Sussex foundry. Examples of early cannon are rare in
England, but on the Continent many may be found,
especially in Belgium. The Rotunda and the Tower of
London probably contain the finest specimens in the

1. Peterara, time of Edward IV. \ 2. Wall. Arquebus. (Rotunda, Woolwich.)
3. The Brocas Heaume. 4. Heaume from Rotunda.

THE INTRODUCTION OF GUNPOWDER 865

British Isles. In the Royal Arsenal at Madrid is preserved
a small piece of ordnance dating from late fifteenth century.
It is double-barrelled and breech-loading, and exhibits a
wealth of ornamentation upon almost every part (Plate
XXX VII.''^). A breech -loading peterara of forged iron of
the time of Edv^rard IV. is in the Rotunda, and is illus-
trated in Plate XXXIX. It is made of longitudinal bars
of iron hooped together vrith iron rings ; the powder-
chamber with its lifting handle is seen in position, and
a simple locking arrangement prevented its blowing out
upon the discharge. Trunnions are affixed to the piece, and
the metal by which it was attached to the long-decayed
wooden gun-carriage is still preserved. The length of the
gun is 3 feet and the calibre 2J inches, while the name
implies that the shot was of stone. This very rare piece
of ordnance is in excellent condition.

[jThe progress in artillery was very slow, but gradually
cannon became mounted upon wheels and rude carriages,
an advance upon the logs and cumbrous beds of the pre-
ceding period, while iron was substituted for stone in the
projectile. J^^he engagement of trained professional gunners
in place of the civilians who had managed the artillery
in the fourteenth century, was another step which led to
improvement, Dutch artillerymen being employed by
Henry VIII. Charles VIII. and subsequent French
monarchs undoubtedly did much for the improvement of
the weapon; they adopted light guns for field artillery,
and introduced the system of rapidly taking up different
positions from which to assail the enemy. The Civil
War in England found a great scarcity of cannon, and
more particularly of efficient gunners, and generally it

866 ARMS AND ARMOUR

may be stated that the English use of artillery was mucli
behind that existing upon the Continent until the middle
of the eighteenth century.

The existence of cannon in the mediagval period would
naturally suggest a weapon that might be used in the
hand, and from a very early period hand-guns have been
in evidence. They are rarely mentioned by writers of
the time, and very few illuminations are extant showing
the weapons then employed, which would tend to show
that their use was restricted, and their efficacy valued
but little. The earliest were simply tubes affixed to a
stick and fired by means of a lighted match ; some of
them were ignited from the muzzle, thus indicating that
they were shotless and only used to frighten horses in a
cavalry charge. The long-bow and arbalest were of
infinitely greater efficacy than the early hand-gun, and it
is a matter for wonder that the latter held a place at
all in the armies of the period. It was made in various
shapes, but that generally shown in contemporary illus-
trations is depicted in Fig. 839, the piece being discharged
by means of a touch-hole on the top of the barrel near
the breech. The earliest use of a hand-gun is involved
in obscurity ; there can be no doubt that many attempts
were made to introduce such a weapon, but the first
mention that occurs is in the reign of Edward III., when
they were brought into England from Flanders. They
were in use by both horse and foot soldiers, the stock in
the first case being shortened so that it could be placed
against the chest, while in the second it passed under
the right arm, the left hand being used to grasp it and
the right to hold the discharging match. The gun was

THE INTRODUCTION OF GUNPOWDER 367

supported in the case of cavalry by a forked rest which
projected from the saddle. In all these guns the powder-
chamber was smaller than the calibre of the barrel. In
some cases the hand-gun was used as a mace after being
discharged.

Hand Culverin, — A larger hand-gun was subsequently
evolved, which was much in use during the second half
of the fifteenth century, and necessitated the presence of
two men for its manipulation. It was called the hand
culverin, and had a bore of about three-quarters of an
inch ; it was constructed of forged iron, and was attached
by bands to a straight stock of wood. This weapon was
fired from a rest. It was subsequently improved by the
addition of a pan and touch-hole at the side and a modi-
fication of the stock, while the barrels were often of brass
or bronze, and polygonal in section. Their weight varied
from ten to sixteen pounds, and a variety which was carried
on horseback at times weighed nearly sixty pounds.
Warwick the King-maker employed " Burgundenses " or
Burgundian hand -gun men in the Second Battle of St.
Albans, 1461, and culveriners formed a part of the forces
under Edward IV. in the later battles of the Wars of
the Roses.

The Serpentin, Matchlock, or Arquebus. — An improve-
ment was made about the year 1500, whereby the slow
match, hitherto held in the hand, was affixed to a lever
bent into the form of a serpent and fastened by the
centre to the stock on a pivot ; by pulling the lower
portion the upper end carrying the match was made to
descend upon the priming powder. Subsequent innova-
tions consisted of a sliding cover over the flash-pan, and

868 ARMS AND ARMOUR

the jointing of the serpentin to increase the leverage.
The matchlock was in use for about two centuries, in
spite of the cumbersome nature of the weapon, the slow
rate of its discharge, the trouble involved in keeping the
match alight during boisterous or rainy weather, and the
heavy rest for holding it when loading and taking aim.
The greatest merit was undoubtedly its simplicity and
cheapness. The arquebus shown in Plate XXVII., p. 322, is
of the sixteenth century, time of James VI., and is in the
Edinburgh Museum. The figure of an arquebusier may
be discerned in Plate VIII., p. 64, under the horse's head oi
the Bayard figure. The arquebus is seen poised upon iti
rest with a piece of loose tow hanging from the barrel ;
the arquebusier is in the act of taking aim, and is accoutred
in seventeenth century military dress. In Plate XXXIX.
a wall arquebus is shown from the Rotunda, which is nearly
9 feet in length and weighs 87 lbs. It is fitted with a
tube sight and an arrangement for pivoting in an iron
socket upon a wall or in an embrasure. Its calibre is
1-3 inches. These pieces were at times carried into the
field and required three men to manipulate them.

llie Wheel-lock. — The great difficulty experienced in
keeping the match alight resulted in the invention of the
wheel-lock in the earlier part of the sixteenth century at
Nuremberg, and its introduction into England about 1540.
The mechanism consisted of a wheel serrated at the edge
which protruded into the priming pan, and was fixed by its
axle to the lock plate (Plate XLI.). This axle was made
square upon the outside for a key, while at the other end a
strong spring engaged with it ; by winding it the spring
was compressed and held in place by a catch. The lock

THE INTRODUCTION OF GUNPOWDER 369

held a piece of pyrites, and when it was depressed rested
in the priming pan, which had a removable cover; upon
the trigger being pulled the spring caused the wheel to
revolve quickly, whereby its file-like edges struck sparks
of fire from the pyrites with which it was in contact and
thus ignited the powder. For the cavalry and also for
sporting purposes the wheel-lock was in use for many
years, but its cost precluded a general introduction among
the infantry. A ' high degree of ornamentation was
lavished upon many of these weapons ; examples may be
readily found in all museums of importance.

Jlie Snap-hance. — This variety of lock was invented
in Holland or Germany about 1550, and from the sim-
plicity and ease with which it was made and the conse-
quent cheapness of production, rapidly came into favour
in England and on the Continent. It is said to have been
evolved by a body of Dutch poultry stealers (Snaphans),
who could not use the match-lock because of the light
entailed, or the wheel-lock because of the expense, and
thereupon devised the snap-hance, little dreaming that
the invention would become so popular. The wheel-lock
was superseded by a hammer which struck upon a piece
of sulphurous pyrites ; the flash-pan was the same, but
the cover was actuated by a spring and flew back when
the hammer descended, thus allowing a free passage for
the shower of sparks.

The Flint-lock, — The snap-hance was undoubtedly the
intermediate weapon between the wheel-lock and flint-
lock. The latter may be claimed as an English invention,
as a specimen occurs in the Tower having the date 1614
upon it, the date generally assigned for its introduction

870 ARMS AND ARMOUR

being 1630 according to continental records. The know-
ledge that fire could be produced by striking flint upon
steel was well known to the ancients. In the flint-lock
the fall of the hammer containing the flint was made to
open the flash-pan and at the same time to strike sparks
from its cover. The earlier kinds had all the mechanism
upon the outside of the lock, but subsequently it was
hidden, and a tumbler connected the mainspring with the
hammer. Highly decorated examples of the flint-lock are
common, especially those of Italian and Spanish origin
(Plate XLI.*). The weapon did not come into exten-
sive use in England until the second half of the seventeenth
century, but it eventually superseded all others, and was
adapted for every kind of firearm, both military and civil,
and remained in use until the advent of the percussion cap
about 1830.

Pistols underwent the same variations as the larger
weapon, but these were often combined, being fixed in
shields, battle-axes, pole-axes, daggers, halberds, &c.

The subject of this chapter is an extremely wide one,
and an attempt to cover it completely in the pages of
this work has not been attempted ; the broad facts given
here may, however, be acceptable to the general reader.

INDEX

AlLETTE, 101

„ circular, 109, 110

„ introduction of, 97

„ lozenge-shaped, 103

„ of Henry de Beaumont, 102

„ of Gilbert de Clare, 103

„ of John de Warenne, 102

„ use of, 105
Album, Jacobi, 294
Albyn, Kobert, brass of, 190
Allecret, 307
Almayne corselets, 305

„ rivets, 282, 305
Almeric,Lord St. Amand, bascinet of, 151

„ „ „ chapelle-de-

fer of, 151

„ „ „ mentonniere

of, 151
Amand, Lord St., 161
Angon, Frankish, 44
Anelace, 252, 334
Anton Pfeffenhauser, 357
Arbalest, 93
Arbalestier, 126

„ at Rotunda (Plate 40, p. 366),

132
Archer, Chain Mail Reinforced Period,
122

„ Surcoatless Period, 209
Archers, English, 255 _

„ Etruscan, 35

„ Half Armour Period, 318
Archer's stake, 209
Archery, 124, 130
Argentine, Sir John de, 189
Armet, 221

Arm defences, Tabard Period, 225
Armour, Burgundy Cross, 355

Armour, Charles V. (Plates 30 and 33, pp.

340, 352), 353
„ upon coinage, 161
„ decorated, 292
„ Edinburgh Castle (Plate 24,

p. 312), 306
„ Edinburgh Castle (Plate 25, p.

316), 316
„ English, 352

„ „ and foreign compared, 350

„ Flemish (Plate 23, p. 268), 357
„ foot, 358
„ fluted, 277
„ Frankish, 45

„ German (PI. 21, p. 236), 353, 356
„ German influence upon, 349
„ Gothic, 353
„ horse, 354
„ for Infante (Philip III.), (Plate

18, p. 196), 357
„ influence of gunpowder upon, 360
„ Italian, 355
„ „ influence upon, 349

„ lancers' (Plate 25, p. 316), 316
„ Maximilian, 278
„ Milanese (Plate 21, p. 236), 355,

357
„ Milanese, of King PhiHp IV.
„ (Plate 35, p. 356), 358

„ Norman, 67
„ from Pamplona (Plate 22, p. 240),

357
„ by Picinino (PI. 19, p. 212), 357
„ Roman Republican, 36
„ Savoy, Duke of (Plate 36, p. 368),

358
„ King Sebastian (Plate 20, p.

232), 366

872

INDEX

Armour, slashed, 291
„ tof^ulated, 74
„ tiltinjj, 233
Armourers' Hall, 294

„ „ gauntlet, 298

Arms, towns renowned for, 359
Arquebus, 306, 367

„ wall (Plate 39, p. 364), 363
Arquebusier, 260, 315

„ Maximilian, 30

Arrow-heads, 4

„ bronze, 16

„ Saxon, 65

Assyrians, the, 20
Artilleryman, 365
Audley, Lord, brass of, 269
Augsburg armour (Plate 30, p. 340),
353
„ Colman family of, 353
Axe, Danish, 64
„ Edinburgh Castle (Plate 27, p. 322),

322
„ Saxon, 53

Bacon, Sir — de, brass of, 118
Balista, 343
Bamberg, efligy at, 1 69
Banded mail, 70, 134

„ construction of (Plate 14,

p. 136), 134
„ introduction of, 97

Banner, 110
Banneret, knight, 110
Barbute, 172
Bardiche, 210

Bardwoll, William, brass of, 270
Bascinet (British Museum MSS.), 150,
153,172,173,209
„ Lord St. Amand, 151
„ Thomas de Beauchamp, 150
„ Sir William Burgate, 174
„ Camail and J upon Period, 170
„ Sir John de Crake, 142
„ Cyclas Period, 142
„ Parham Park, 171
„ St. Albans, Camail and Jupon
Period, 170

Bascinet, Sir Humphrey de Stafford, 216
„ Studded and Splinted Period,

149
„ Surcoatless Period, 195, 208
„ Tower of London, 171
„ Ulrich Landschaden, 173
„ Wallace Collection, 171

Baselard, 338

Bases or lamboys, 289

Basket-hilted sword, 337

Bastard sword, 197, 261

Battle-axes, 8

Bavi^re (British Museum MSS.), 208,206
„ Surcoatless Period, 195
„ Tabard Period, 220

Bayard, Chevalier, annour of (Plate 8,
p. 64), 272

Bayeux Tapestry, 65, 67

Bear's-paw sabbatons, 280

Beauchamp Chapel, 244

„ Richard de, 21 1

„ effigy of, 244
„ Thomas, Earl of Warwick, 1 60

„ Thomas do, bascinet, 160

Belt, bronze, Greek, 31

Berkeley, Lord, 169

Bifid beard, Saxon, 62

Bill (Plate 27, p. 322), 328

Billman (British Museum MS.), 206
„ Surcoatless Period, 204

Bipennis, 54, 80

Bitton, Sir John do, 87

Black Prince, heaume of, 184

Boeotian helmet, 29

Bohun, Humphrey do, crest of, 116

Bolts or quarrels, 133

Bombard, the Cre<jy (Plate 40, p. 306),
363

Bombards, 307, 362

Bothe, Sir Robert del, brass of, 249

Bouche, 253

Bourdonnss lance, 311

Bow, Assjrrian, 22
„ Egyptian, 23
„ Greek, 26, 32
„ Norman, 66

]k)wman, 266

INDEX

873

r, racer, 209, 319

lirass at Croft, 118

iirass of Robert Albyn, 190

„ Sir John d' Aubernoiin, 97, 144

„ Lord Audley, 269

„ Sir — de Bacon, 118

„ William Bardwell, 270

„ Sir Robert del Bothe, 249

„ Sir Thomas Braunston, 190

„ Humphrey Brewster, 301

„ Sir Robert de Bures, 116

„ Lord Robert Ferrers of Chartley,

199

„ Sir William Cheyne, 157

„ Robert Colt, 230, 248

„ John Colt, 270

„ John Daundelion, 247

„ Sir William de Echingham, 176

„ Lord I'Estrange, 270

„ Sir Simon de Felbrygge, 199

„ Sir — de Fitzralph, 118

„ John Gaynesford, 247

„ Henry Green, 250

„ Walter Green, 247

„ Sir Thomas Grene, 250

„ Sir Anthony de Grey, 230, 252

„ Richard Gyll, 270

„ Sir John Hanley, 190

„ Sir Robert Harcourt, 230

„ Sir John de Harpedon, 217

„ Sir Hugh Hastings, 150, 158

„ Sir Ralph de Knevynton, 169

„ Knight at Laughton, 193

„ Sir John de Leventhorpe, 201

„ Sir John Lysle, 201

„ Sir John de Northwode, 144

„ Henry Parice, 230, 248

„ Sir John Peryent, 229

„ Sir John de St. Quintin, 190

„ Sir Thomas de St. Quintin, 200,

244

„ Sir John Say, 252

„ Sir Robert de Septvans, 117

„ Edward Stafford, 269

„ Sir Humphrey Stanley, 271

„ Sir Miles de Stapleton, 157, 183,
227

Brass of Sir Robert Staunton, 229, 248
„ Sir Roger de Trumpington, 99
„ Sir John Wylcotes, 192
Brassarts, demi-, 118
„ Jacobi, 297

„ Transition Period, 269

Brayette, 284

Breastplate (British Museum MS.), 168
„ Burgundian, 358

„ Camail and Jupon Period,

168
„ Cyclas Period, 140

„ Globose, 242
„ Jacobi, 296
„ long form of, 250

„ Maximilian, 282

„ peascod, 283

„ Studded and Splinted Period,

148
„ Surcoatless Period, 195

Tabard Period, 223
„ Transition Period, 267

„ (Tower of London), 225

Brigau dines, construction of, 263
Bronze Age, 9

„ arrow-heads of, 16
„ daggers of, 11
„ mace of, 19
„ shields of, 17
„ spear of, 14
„ ^ sword of, 12, 19
Bronze gun, Dardanelles, 363
Brown bill, 328
Bufe, 279
Bures, Sir Robert de, brass of (Plate 11,

p. 116), 116
Burgate, Sir William, bascinet of, 174
Burgonet, 28

„ Hatfield House, 307
" Burgundenses," 262
Burgundian breastplate, 358
Burgundy cross armour (Plate 31, p.

346), 355
Byrnie, Saxon, 58

Cabasset (Plate 26, p. 318), 304
Caliver, 306, 316

874

INDEX

» >»

» n

Calthorpo, Sir William, 201
Cumail and Jupon Period, 166, 174

„ bascinet, 170
„ bascinet, St. Al-
bans, 170
„ gauntlets, 178
„ hauberk, 169
„ heaume of, 183
„ hip belt, 180
„ laminated epau-
licres, 177
„ „ „ leg armour, 180

„ „ „ misericorde, 182

„ „ „ plate defences,

177
MM „ shield, 183

„ „ „ sword, 181

„ „ „ visor, 171

Cannon, construction of, 364

„ Dardanelles (Plate 38, p. 302),

363
„ at Ghent, 363
„ Madrid (Plate 37, p. 360), 365
„ at Mont St. Michael, 363
„ names of, 364
„ at Rotunda, 364
Cannonier, 262, 300, 363
Cap-d-pie suit, Tower of London, 240

„ „ Wallace Collection, 242

Carabine, 306

Carbineer, half armour of, 316*
Catapult, 342
Cavalry, Half Armour Period, 316

„ Maximilian Period, 307
Celts, bronze, 9
„ Egyptian, 7
„ origin of name, 2
„ pronunciation of, 2
„ PaliBolithic and Neolithic, 3
Chain mail, 84

„ fabrication of, 86

„ Period, 81

„ Reinforced Period, 97

n n n archer, 122

» „ „ guige,99

n tt «• heaume, 101

n » „ soldier, 121

Chain Mail Reinforced Period, sword, 98

„ Saxon, 60
Chanfron (Plate 34, p. 364), 354
Chapelle-de-for, 259

„ „ of Lord St. Amand, 151
Charles V., equestrian suit of, 354

„ Negroli armour (Piute 10,

p. 80), 355
Chaussos, 98

„ Norman, 76

„ Studded and Splinted Period,

149
Cheney, Sir John, genouillitre of, 272
Chevalier Bayard, armour of, 272
Cheyne, Sir Thomas, 189

„ Sir William, 157, 189
Cinquedea, 334
Claymore, 337
Clehongre, effigy at, 145
Club tournament, 312
Cobham, Sir Reginald de, orle of, 187

„ Sir John do, 190
Coif-de-mailles, 98

„ „ fixing of, 106

Coif, Norman, 73
Coinage, armour upon, 161
Colt, John, brass of, 270

„ Robert, brass of, 230, 248
„ Thomas, pauldron of, 228
Collections, foreign armour in, 350

„ German suits in, 350

Colman, Desiderius, foot armour (Plate
12, p. 128), 356
„ family at Augsburg, 353
Composition of gunpowder, 361
Construction of early cannon, 361
Contoise, 101,186, 237
Continental equipment, 361

„ and English equipment, 352

Coronal, 238

„ lance head, 311
Corporation mace, 331
Corselets, almayne, 306
Coudieres, 118

„ butterfly, 244

„ fan-shaped, 201

„ of Thomas Playtera, 229

INDEX

375

Coudieres, Studded and Splinted Period,
155

„ fan-shaped, Surcoatless Period,
196

„ Tabard Period, 228

„ Wallace Collection, 229
Courses, 308

Courtney, Edward, panache of, 187
Crakeys, 361

Cray, John, misericorde of, 182
Cre(^y bombard, 363
Creke, Sir John de, bascinet of, 142
Crest, Humphrey de Bohun, 116
„ Richard Fitzalan, 116
„ introduction of, 90
„ John de Warenne, 116
Crests, 97, 115, 186
Crinet, 354
Crossbow, 126

„ barrelled, 133

„ a Galet, 133

„ goat's foot, or hind's foot, 131

„ hand, 131

„ missiles, 133

„ moulinet and pulleys, 132

„ wheel and ratchet, 132

Cross-legged effigies, 99
Cuirass, 30

„ Etruscan, 34

„ Greek, 24

„ Roman Imperial, 39

„ Roman Republican, 36, 37
Cuirassier, Half Armour Period, 315
Cuir-bouilli, 98
Cuishes, 309

Cuissarts, Transition Period, 269
Cuisses, Maximilian Period, 284
Culette, 291
Cultellus, 79, 334
Culverin, hand, 367 ^
Cumse, 29
Cyclas Period, 139, 141

„ soldier of, 144

„ sword, 144

Dag, 308
Dagger, 338

Dagger, bronze, 11

„ kidney, 339

„ main-gauche, 339

„ Norman, 79

„ Saxon, 64

„ thumb-guard, 339
Daggers, 6
Dagging, 168
Dardanelles bronze gun (Plate 38, p. 362),

363
Danes, 63

Danes and Saxons, 47
Danish axe, 64

„ helmet, 63

„ shield, 64

„ spear, 64

„ sword, 64
Das Deutsche Stechen, 238, 308
D'Aubernoun, Sir John, brass of, 97, 144
Daundelion, John, brass of, 247
Decorated armour, 292
Defences, not plate, 71
Demi-placcate (British Museum MS.), 225

„ Tabard Period, 223

D'Eresby brass, 192
„ orle, 187
Despencer, Hugh de, 160
Dragon, 308

„ Half Armour Period, 316
Dunbar, Patrick, heaume of, 113

Early cannon, construction of, 361
Early projectiles, 362
Echingham, Sir W. de, brass of, 176
Edinburgh Castle, armour in (Plate 24,

p. 312), 306
Edward HI., 160
Edward, Prince of Wales, heaume of,

116
Effigies, cross-legged, 99
Effigy, Bamberg Cathedral, 196

„ Richard Beauchamp, 244

„ Clehongre, 145

„ Prince John of Eltham, 145

„ from tomb of Lady Eleanor Fitz-
alan, 153

„ Sir Robert Shurland, 141

«76

INDEX

Effigy, Aymer de Valence, 143
„ Sir John Verney, 247
„ Sir Thomas Veraon, 246
Egyptians, 22

Engines, projectile-throwing, 340
English archers, 256
„ armour, 352

f, and Continental equipment,
352
ipaule de mouton, 237, 286
Epauli6re8, laminated, Camail and Jnpon
Period, 177, 196
„ „ Tabard Period, 226

Equestrian suit, Charles V., 354

„ „ Wallace Collection, 241

Equipment, continental, 351
Espalier pauldrons, 239
Etruscans, 33

Falarica, 343

Falchion, 334

Falcon, 307

Fauchard, 210, 320

Felbrygge, Sir Simon de, brass of, 199

Ferrara suit, 300

Ferrars, Robert de, heaume of, 1 12

„ of Chartley, Lord R., brass of,
199
Fire-pot, 261
Fitzalan, Lady Eleanor, effigies from

tomb of, 152
Fitzalan, Richard, crest of, 116
Fitzralph, Sir — de, brass of, 118
Flail, military, 329
Flamberge, 337

Flemish armour (Plate 23, p. 268), 367
Flint-lock, 369
Fluted armour, 277
Foot armour, 287, 288, 368
„ soldier (British Museum MSS.), 206,

207
„ „ Surcoatloss Period, 204

„ tournaments, 312
Forbidden gauntlet, 356

„ „ Armourers' Hall and

Tower of London, 298
Foreign armour in collections, 350

Foreign armour and tournaments, 350
Fork, military, 328

„ scaling (Plate 27, p. 322), 326
Francisca, Frankish, 43
Franks, 43

Free Course, 286, 312
Fustibal or staff-sling, 134
Fylfote, 99
Fynderne, William, tabard of, 215

Gadlings, 179
Gambeson, 67

„ Cyclas Period, 141
„ Surcoatless Period, 196

Gammadion, 99
Garde-do-bras, 229, 237, 287
Garde-de-rein, 241, 279, 282
Gauntlet, Armourers' Hall, 298

„ Camail and Jupon Period, 178
, Charles V. (Plate 32, p. 348), 3r>4
„ forbidden, 356
„ Jacobi, 298
„ mail, 107
shell, 253
„ Surcoatljss Period, 196
Gayncsford, John, brass of, 247
Gonouillifere, Jacobi, 297

„ of Sir Roger le Strange, 272

„ Wallace Collection, 231

Qenouilliferes (British Museum MSS.),
166, 232
„ Chain Mail Reinforced

Period, 98
„ of Sir John Cheney, 272

„ Studded and Splinted

Period, 155, 156
„ Tabard Period, 232

Geoffrey, Count of Anjou, crest of, 90
Gerard, Piers, sabbatons of, 232

„ „ tabard of, 215

German armour (Plate 21, p. 236), 353, 356
„ Course, 308
„ suits in collections, 360
Ghent, cannon at, 363
Gilbert de Clare, ailettes of, 103
Glaives (Plato 27, p. 322), 328
Goedendag, 330

INDEX

877

Jorget, Jacobi, 296

„ Maximilian Period, 280
„ Surcoatless Period, 194, 212
„ Transition Period, 267
tothic armour, Wallace Collection, 239
style, 242
suits, 353
loussets, laminated, 239
„ plate, 225, 267
Irande-garde, 285
Greaves, Greek, 25, 30, 31
^^eek engines, 341
fire, 261, 360
historic age, 24, 27
lance, 27
phalanx, 27
rreen, Henry, brass of, 250
Walter, brass of, 247
rrene, Sir Thomas, brass of, 250
'Grevi^res or jambarts. Studded and

Splinted Period, 167
Grey, Sir Anthony de, brass of, 230, 252
Grey of Ruthin, Lord, 160
Gridiron helmet, 312
Guard-plate to knee, 250
Guige, 78, 238

„ Chain Mail Reinforced Period, 99
Guisarme, 210, 320

„ Norman, 79

Gunpowder, composition of, 361

„ influence on armour, 360

„ introduction of, 27

Gyll, Richard, brass of, 270
Gyn, 345

[alp Armour Period, 313

„ „ archers, 318

arquebusier, 315

carbineer, 316

cavalry, 315

cuirassier, 315

dragoon, 316

helmet, 313

musketeer, 317

pikeman, 316

three-quarter suit,
314

Halberd, Edinburgh Castle (Plate 27,

p. 323), 323
Hand-and-a-half sword, 197
Hand culverin, 367
„ guns, 365
„ gun man, 261, 262
„ gun men, Burgundian, 262
Hanley, Sir John, brass of, 190
Haqueton, 117

„ Cyclas Period, 139
Harcourt, Sir Robert, brass of, 230
Harpedon, Sir John de, brass of, 217
Hastings, Sir Hugh, brass of, 160

„ Sir Hugh, heaume of, 164

„ Lawrence, 160
Hatfield House, burgonet, 307

„ „ helmet, 300

„ „ sabbatons, 305

Hauberk, 98

„ Camail and Jupon Period, 169

„ Cyclas Period, 140

„ Norman Period, 73

„ Studded and Splinted Period,
147

„ Surcoatless Period, 196
Hausse-col, 252
Haut-de-chausses, Studded and Splinted

Period, 156
Hawberk, Sir Nicholas, 169
Head-pieco (British Museum MS.), 206
Heaume, 81

„ Berlin, 91

„ Black Prince (Plate 17), 184

„ the Brocas (Plate 39, p. 364),
274

„ Roger de Bigod, 82

„ Camail and Jupon Period, 183

„ Chain Mail Reinforced Period,
101, 112

„ Richard de Clare, 83

„ Coeur de Lion, 91

„ conical, introduction of, 97

„ Patrick Dunbar, 113

„ Hugh Fitz-Eudo, 82

„ Edward, Prince of Wales, 116

„ Robert de Ferrars, 112

„ Hamelin, 83

878

INDEX

Heaame, Sir Hugh Hastings, 154

„ Henry de Lacy, 115

,, Painted, at Leipzic, 82

„ Sir Geoffrey Luterell, 154

„ Henry de Perci, 116

„ Pembridge, 185

„ Richard Plantagenet, 1 12

„ Pranker, 187

„ Rotunda (Plate 39, p. 364), 185

„ Sir William de Staunton, 101

„ Tower of London, 273

„ Sir Edward de Thorpe, 187

„ Tilting, 235

„ Various, 274

„ Hugh de Vere, 83
The Wallace, 273
Helmet, Assyrian, 21

„ Cabasset, 304

„ Danish, 63

„ Egyptian, 23

„ Etruscan, 33

„ Greek, 24, 28

„ Gridiron, 312

„ Grotesque, 292

„ Half Armour Period, 313

„ Hatfield House, 300

„ Jacobi, 295

„ latticed, 312

„ Maximilian Period, 280

„ morion, 304

„ nasal, 112

„ Norman, 78

„ of Philip II. by Wolf (Plate 16,
p. 166), 356

ff Roman Imperial, 39

„ „ Republican, 37

,, Saxon, 56

„ Tabard Period, 216

„ Transition Period, 265
Henry de Beaumont, ailettes of, 102
Henri de Perci, banner of, 111
Heraldry, beginning of, 89
Hip belt, Camail and Jupon Period,
180
„ „ Surcoatless Period, 196
Hog's bristle, 318
Holy water sprinkler, 329

Horse armour, 354
Houppelande, 207, 269
Huskyn, 319

Imperial Period, Roman armour, 37
Infantry, Maximilian Period, 301
Italian armour, 355

„ Course, 238, 286, 310

Jacobi brassarts, 297

„ breastplate, 296

„ gauntlets, 298

„ genouillitre, 297

„ gorget, 296

„ jambarts, 297

„ pauldrons, 297

„ sabbatons, 297

„ suits, 294

„ taces, 296

„ turners, 297
Jacque, 204, 262
Jambarts, demi-, 118
„ Jacobi, 297
Javelin, 4, 31, 263
Jazeraint work, 264
John de Warenne, ailettes of, 102
Joustes of Peace, 238
Jupon, Camail and Jupon Period, 167

Kidney dagger, 339
„ guard, 282
King Sebastian, armour, 356
Knevynton, Sir Ralph de, 188

„ „ brass of, 16i

Knighthood, 111
Knight, Transition Period, 271

Lacy, Henry de, hoaumo, 116
Lambrequins, 31, 237
Lamboys or bases, 289
Laminated goussets, 239
Lancaster, Henry, Earl of, 160
Lance, 99, 332

„ Assyrian, 22

„ Bourdonass, 311

„ Frankish, 44

M Greek, 26

INDEX

379

Lance head, coronal, 311

„ Norman, 65

„ rest, 233
Landschaden, Ulrich, bascinet of, 173
Landschut, Wolf, family of, 355
Latimer, Sir W. de, panache of, 186
Latten, 242
Latticed helmet, 312
Laughton, knight at, brass of, 193
Leg armour, Camail and Jupon Period, 180
Leg defence, leather, 109
Leg defences, Tabard Period, 231
L'Estrange, Lord, brass of, 270
Leventhorpe, Sir John de, brass of, 201
Littlebury, Sir Humphrey, 189
Lobster-tail tassets, 307
Long-bow, Saxon, 55
Lucio Picinino, 357

Ludwig of Bavaria, Duke, salade of, 220
Luterell, Sir Geoflfrey, heaume of, 154
Lysle, Sir John, brass of, 201

Mace, 329

„ Assyrian, 22

„ Bronze Age, 19

„ Corporation, 331

„ Norman, 67

„ Saxon, 67

„ used by ecclesiastics, 331
Madrid, Poyal Armoury at, 363
Mail, banded, 134
„ gauntlet, 107

„ skirt, 240
Main-de-fer, 237
Mainfaire, 355
Main-gauche, 339
Malacat, Sir Pandulf, 212
Mammelieres, 204, 261
Man-at-arms, Chain Mail Period, 95

„ Surcoatfess Period, 203

Mangonel, 346
Manifere, 237
Manteau d'armes, 286, 311
Mantling, 237
Martel-de-fer, 331
Matchlock, 367

„ drill, 318

Maule, 319
Maunche, 159
Maximilian armour, 278

„ breastplate, 282

„ cavalry, 307

„ cuisses, 284

„ gorget, 280

„ infantry, 301

„ pauldrons, 283

„ Period, 275

„ pikeman, 303

Mentonniere, of Lord St. Amand, 151

„ Tabard Period, 219

„ Wallace Collection, 221

Milanese armour (Plate 21, p. 236), 355,

357
Military flail, 329
„ fork, 326
„ pick, 79
Misericorde, 252

„ Camail and Jupon Period,

182
„ John Cray, 182

„ Surcoatless Period, 197

Missaglias, 244
Mons Meg, 363

Mont St. Michael, cannon at, 363
Morgensterns, 330
Morion, 304
Morning star, 329
Musketeer, Half Armour Period, 317

Names of cannon, 364
Nasal, Norman, 78
Negroli family, 355
Neville, Richard, 253
Norman armour, 67

„ bow, 66

„ chausses, 76

„ coif, 73

„ hauberk, 73

„ helmet, 78

„ lance, 65

„ mace, 67

„ nasal, 78

„ pennon, 65

„ period, 65

880

INDEX

Norman shield, 77
„ sword, 66
Northwode, Sir John de, brass of, 144

OccuLARiUM, 218, 222
Open Course, 238
Orle, 187, 246

„ Sir Reginald de Gobham, 137

„ d'Eresby, 187

Palette, 196, 237

Paletoot, Sir John de, 189

Pamplona armour (Plate 21, p. 240), 357

Panache, 186

„ Edward Courteney, 187

„ Sir William de Latimer, 186

Parazonium, Greek, 32

Parice, Henry, brass of, 230, 248

Partisan, 210, 324

Pas d'ane, 336

Passe gardes, 227

Patron, 308

Pauldrons, 237

„ Thomas Colt, 228

„ espalier, 229

„ Jacobi, 297

„ laminated, Tabard Period, 227

,, Maximilian, 283

„ Tabard Period, 227

„ Transition Period, 268

„ Wallace Collection, 228

„ William Yelverton, 223

Pavise, 257

„ (British Museum MS.), 268
„ Wallace Collection, 257

Pa von, 110, 111

Peascod breastplate, 283

Pembridge, Sir Richard, shield of, 183
„ heaume, 185

Pennon, 110

„ Norman, 65

Pennonqel, 110

Perci, Henry de, heaume of, 116

Perrier, 345

Peryent, Sir John, brass of, 229

Petardier, 261

Peterara (Plate 39, p. 364), 366

Petrary, 346

Petronel, 306

Pfeffenhauser, Anton, 357

Philip III. armour (Plate 18, p. 19(

Plate 19, p. 212; Plate 22, p. 240),

357
Picinino, Lucio (Plate 19, p. 212), 300, 367
Pike, 210, 324

„ guards, 227, 244, 268
Pikeman, Half Armour Period (Plate 24,
p. 312), 316

„ Maximilian Period, 303

„ Surcoatless Period, 204
Pilum, Roman (Imperial), 40
Pistols, 370

Plantagenet, Richard, heaume of, 112
Plastron-de-fer, Norman, 73
Plate defences, Camail and J upon Period,
177
„ goussets, 225
Playters, Thomas, couditre of, 229
Polder mitten, 237, 286
Pole-axe, 210, 240, 321

„ Saxon, 64
Poniard, 338
Pot-de-fer, 260
Pourpoint, 165
Pranker heaume, 187
Pre-Norman Period, sword of, 333
Projectile-throwing engines, 340

„ early, 362
Pryck spurs, 99

Quarrels or bolts, 133
Queue, Tower of London, 236

„ Wallace Collection, 236
Quintin, Sir John de St., 190, 199

„ Sir Thomas de St., brass of, 200

„ Thomas de St., brass of, 244
Quiver, 209

„ Greek, 33

Ranseur (Plate 27, p. 322), 324

Rapier, 336

Rhodes armour (Plate 9, p. 72), 263

Ricasso, .?37

Richard 111., 263

INDEX

881

Bivets, almayne, 305
Roman armour, Republican, 36
„ „ Imperial Period, 37

„ engines, 341
Rondache, Augsburg (Plate 4, p. 40),
299
„ Desiderius Colman (Plate 3,

p. 32), 299
„ Italian (Plate 1, p. 16) 299
„ „ (Plate 5, p. 48), 299

„ „ (Plate 6, p. 56), 299

„ Philip II. (Plate 2, p. 24), 299
Rondaches, 298
Rotunda, 253

„ cannon at, 364
„ heaume, 185
Roundels, 118
Royal Armoury, Madrid, 353

Sabbaton, 232
Sabbatons, bear's-paw, 280

of Piers Gerard, 232
„ Hatfield House, 305

„ Jacobi, 297

„ Transition Period, 269

Sabre, 334
Salade, 217, 260

„ on brasses, 248

„ of Duke Ludvig of Bavaria, 220

„ of German pattern, 220

„ Maximilian Period, 281

„ Milanese (Plate 7, p. 60), 355

„ Tower of London, 219

„ Wallace Collection, 219
Salletts, 218
Saxon arrow-head, 55

„ axe, 53

„ byrnie, 58

„ chain mail, 60

„ dagger, 54

„ helmet, 56

„ long-bow, 55

„ pole-axe, 54

„ shield, 57

„ sling, 55

„ spear-heads, 49

„ swords, 50

Saxon umbo, 57
Saxons and Danes, 47
Say, Sir John, brass of, 252

„ „ „ tabard of, 216
Scaling fork, 326
Scarisbrick Tabard, 216
Scimitar, 209, 335
Sebastian, King, armour of (Plate 20,

p. 232), 356
Septvans, Sir Robert de, brass of, 117
Serpentin, 307, 367
Sharfrennen, 309
Shell gauntlets, 253
Shelton, Sir Pvalph, tabard of, 215
Shield, Assyrian, 21

„ Bronze Age, 17

„ (British Museum MS.), 203

„ Camail and Jupon Period, 92

„ Danish, 64

„ Egyptian, 23

„ Etruscan, 35

,, Greek, 25, 28

„ Norman, 77

„ Roman, Imperial Period, 39

„ Saxon, 57

„ Sir Richard Pembridge, 183

„ Studded and Splinted Period, 167

„ Surcoatless Period, 203

„ of Robert Wyvill, 183
Shields or rondaches, 298
Shurland, Sir Robert, effigy of, 141
Sieges, 340

Sir John de Bitton, 87
Sir Oliver d'Ingham, stone effigy, 100
Sir Roger de Kerdeston, stone effigy,

100
Sir Robert de Trumpington, brass of, 99
Sir William de Staunton, heaume," 101
Skirt of mail, Transition Period, 269
Slab, Sir John de Bitton, 87
Slashed armour, 291
Sling, Saxon, 55
Sling-stones, 7
Snap-hance, 369
Snout-faced visor, 171
Soldier, Cyclas Period, 144

Chain Mail Period, 93

882

INDEX

Soldier, Chain Bfail Reinforced Period,

121
Sollerets, 120

„ studded and splinted, 157
Spanish soldiers, eleventh century, 351
Spear, bronze, 14
„ Danish, 64
„ Egyptian, 23
„ heads, 4

„ Greek, 32
„ „ Saxon, 49

„ Roman Imperial, 40
„ Saxon, 48
Spearman (British Museum MS.), 207
„ Chain Mail Reinforced Period,
96
Spetum, 324
Spontoon, 326
Sprinkler, holy water, 329
Spurs, 242

„ pryck, 99
Stafford, Lord, 160

„ Edward, brass of, 2C9
„ Sir Humphrey de, bascinet of,
216
Staff-sling or fustibal, 94, 134
Stake, archer's, 509
Standard of mail. Transition Period, 221,

267
Stanley, Sir Humphrey, brass of, 271
SUpleton, Sir Miles, 189

„ „ „ brass of, 157, 188, 227

Staunton, Sir Robert, brass of, 229, 248
Stechtarsche, 238
Stone Age, 1

„ arrow and javelin heads, 4
„ battle-axes, 8
„ celts, 2
„ daggers, 6
„ sling-stones, 7
„ spear-heads, 4
Stone effigy, Sir Oliver d'Ingham, 100
„ Sir R. de Kerdeston, 100

Strange, Sir Roger le, genouilliere of, 272
Studded and Splinted Period, 146
Suits, Jacobi, 294
Burcoat, 98

Surcoat, Chain Mail Period, 88
Surcoat or jupon. Studded and Splinted

Period, 147
Surcoatless Period, 194

,t „ archer, 209

„ „ bascinet, 195, 208

„ „ bavitre, 195

„ „ billman, 204

„ „ breastplate, 195

n n fanshaped coudieros,

196
„ „ foot soldier, 204

„ „ gamboson, 196

„ „ gauntlets, 196

„ gorget, 194, 212
„ „ hauberk, 196

„ „ hip belt, 196

„ „ man-at-arms, 203

„ „ misericorde, 197

„ „ pikeman, 204

„ „ shield, 203

„ „ sword, 197

„ „ taces, 195

Svastika, 99
Swedish feather, 318
Swine's feather, 318
Sword, 252, 332
„ anelace, 334
„ Assyrian, 21
„ bastard, 261, 338
„ basket-hilted, 337
„ bronze, 12, 19
„ Camail and Jupon Period, 181
„ Chain Mail Reinforced Period, 98
„ Cinquedea, 334
„ Cortes (Plate 29, p. 338), 336
„ cultellus, 334
„ Cyclas Period, 144
„ Danish, 64
„ Egyptian, 23
„ Falchion, 334
„ Flamberge, 337

„ Prankish, 45 ||

„ Gonsalvo de Cordoba (Plate 29> Q

p. 338), 335
„ guards of, 335
„ Greek, 25, 2i

INDEX

383

Sword, Norman, 66

„ Pre-Norraan Period, 333

„ Roman Imperial, 40

„ Philip 11. (Plate 28, p. 334;
Plate 29, p. 338), 335

„ sabre, 334

„ Saxon, 50

„ scimitar, 335

„ Surcoatless Period, 197

„ Tabard Period, 232

„ thumb-guard, 336

„ two-handed, 255, 336
Swynborne, Sir Robert, brass of, 170

Tabard, William Fynderne, 215
„ Piers Gerard, 215
„ Period, 213, 214
„ „ arm defences, 225

„ „ baviere, 220

„ „ breastplate, 223

„ „ coudieres, 228

„ „ demi-placeate, 223

„ „ genouillieres, 232

„ „ helmet, 216

„ „ laminated epauliferes, 226

„ „ laminated pauldrons, 227

leg defences, 231
mentonniere, 219
pauldrons, 227
sword, 232
taces, 229
[[ '„ tuilles, 229

„ „ tuillettes, 229

„ Scarisbrick, 216
„ Sir John Say, 215
„ Sir Ralph Shelton, 215
„ John Wantele, 215
Taces, Jacobi, 296

„ Surcoatless Period, 195
„ Tabard Period, 229
Tapul, 283
Tassets, 282

„ lobster tail, 307
Tegulated armour, 74
Thorpe, Sir Edward de, heaume, 187
Three-quarter suit, Half Armour Period,
314

»>

Thumb-guard, dagger, 339
„ sword, 336

Tilting armour, 233

„ „ German, 234

„ „ Wallace Collection, 235

„ heaume, 235
„ pieces, 285
Tormentum, 342
Tournaments, 308

„ and foreign armour, 350

Tower of London, Greek armour, 29
Towns renowned for arms, 359
Transition Period, 265

„ „ brassarts, 269

„ „ breastplate, 267

„ „ cuissarts, 269

„ gorget, 267
„ „ helmet, 265

„ „ knight, 271

„ „ pauldrons, 268

„ „ sabbatons, 269

„ „ skirt of mail, 269

„ „ standard of mail, 267

Trebuchet (British Museum MSS.), 344,

345, 346, 347
Trews, 117

Tuilles, Tabard Period, 229
Tuillettes, Tabard Period, 229
Tunic, Assyrian, 20
„ Egyptian, 22
Turners, 254

„ Jacobi, 297
Two-handed sword, 336

tJBER die Pallia, 238, 310
Umbo, Saxon, 57
Umbril, 307

Valence, Aymer de, effigy of, 143
Vamplate, 310

„ Tower of London, 236
Vambraces, demi, 118

„ Studded and Splinted Period,

155
Ventaille, 112
Verney, Sir John, effigy of, 247

384

INDEX

Vornon, Sir Thomas, ofBgy of (Frontis-
piece), 246
Vervelles, 142, 176, 222
Visor, Camail and Jupon Period, 171
Volante piece, 285, 356
Voulge, 326

Wantele, John, tabard of, 215
Warenne, John de, crest of, 116
War hat, Wallace Collection, 162
Warwick Roll, 263

Wolsches Gestech, 238
Wheel-lock, 367
Wolf family, 356
„ Philip II., armour (Plato 13, p. 132).

366
„ tilting armour (Plate 16, p. 146),
356
Wylcotes, Sir John, brass of, 192
Wyvill, Robert, shield, 183

Yblverton, William, pauldron of, 228

THE END

Printo<l by Ballantynb, Hanson 6* Ca
Edinburgh 6* London

1344 4 Cfi

U Ashdown, Charles Henry

800 British and foreign arms

A8 & armoiir

PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE
CARDS OR SLIPS FROM THIS POCKET

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